Mohammed Ismail Sherif Kwaku Frimpong rather known as Black Sherif has unarguably risen from grass to grace to become the most prominent Ghanaian artiste.
The 'Second Sermon' trap star cruised through 2023 making more than hundreds of headlines that highlighted his growth, struggle with fame and journey to his current destination with his music career.
However, here are the 7 major Blacko 2023 headlines worth noting to document his career path.
1. Wining VGMA Artiste of The Year 2023
Black Sherif's career success in 2023 was acknowledged after he won the ultimate prize at Ghana's most prestigious music awards ceremony. Blacko swept headlines after he won the 2023 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Artiste of the Year.
He beat competition from Stonebwoy Sarkodie, King Promise, Camidoh, KiDi, Piesie Esther and Joe Mettle. The good news was more than a wildfire that spread across all news channels in Ghana and beyond.
2. Black Sherif Wins BET Hip Hop Awards
With his growth beyond Ghana, Blacko also earned a global spotlight after he also emerged victorious at the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards. He took home the award for Best International Flow.
Competing against nine talented rappers, including Aka and K.O from South Africa and Sampa The Great from Zimbabwe, Black Sherif emerged victorious, cementing his status on the global stage at the ceremony held in Atlanta, U.S on Tuesday, October 3, 2023
I saw this in my sleep every night. I started making music four years ago in a small city in Ghana called Konongo-Zongo, and there was no way nobody wasn't going to convince me that I wouldn't be here and that my music wasn't going to go global, Black Sherif said.
Whilst on stage to pick the award, he continued Remember you are kings and queens back home. Come by home.
3.TikTok Takeover, GRWM
Black Sherif has grown to become a people person and even if he coughs, it will become a headline. This was evident when he decided to join the Get Ready With Me trend on TikTok which instantly went viral.
The video became another time Black Sherif swept through the headlines in 2023 that we can't forget about.
4. Feature on Michael B Jordan's Creed
This year, Black Sherif also joined other global icons on Michael B Jordan's Creed movie project. The Ghanaian musician has been featured on the track “Blood, Sweat & Tears” off the official soundtrack for the Hollywood Blockbuster franchise, CREED III.
The soundtrack produced by Dreamville, the record label run by American rapper J Cole was released on Friday, March 3 featuring Bas and Kel-p. The collaboration is a 2023 highlight moment for Blacko.
5. West Ham uses ‘Konongo Zongo’ to celebrate Conference League trophy
June this year, West Ham United turned to Black Sherif’s ‘Konongo Zongo’ as their celebratory song, whilst marking a week of winning the UEFA Conference League on TikTok.
The English side won their first European trophy after they defeated Fiorentina 2-1 in the final of the Conference League.
6. Arrested at the Airport by Cruise People
Right after putting Ghana on the map at shows across the U.S. and Europe, Black Sherif was picked up at the Kotoka International Airport upon arrival in Ghana.
The arrest of the rapper went viral. Later, it was revealed that an event organiser, Cruise People, caused the rapper's arrest over an alleged breach of contract.
Black Sherif was sued $100,000. However, after appearing in court through his legal team, the Ghanaian trap star won the case.
7.Threat To Be Cancelled In Ghana Over Play Ghana
Towards the end of the year, Black Sherif joined a campaign by Smallgod and other musicians like Samini, Reggie Rockston and others who called for only Ghanaian music to be played in Ghana.
His support for the initiative triggered emotions in Nigeria with some of the country's threatening to also lead a campaign for Black Sherif's songs not to be played in Ghana. The online brouhaha saw the Ghanaian artiste coming to clarify his stance on the issue.
“How do I want foreign music banned in my country while I work with foreign producers and artists? But agenda set ah lie? Good luck to everybody.” he said in a now-deleted tweet.
However, Nigerian OAP, Adesope Olajide, has debunked the cancel agenda reports, saying that Blacko is loved in Nigeria regardless.
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