Blacko Releases 2-Song EP: ‘Take Care Of Yourself’

Blacko or better still ‘Kweku The Traveller’ ledgers proceeds with โ€˜Take Care of Yourself Blackoโ€™, a reflective pair of singles, โ€œYAYAโ€ and โ€œSimmer Down,โ€ out today.

The EP registers the 21-year-oldโ€™s evolution through misfortunes, as he steers the frostiness of the streets of stardom while remaining loyal to himself.

While โ€œYAYAโ€ follows the lens of his alter ego, a rebel who gave fate a chance and is in search of healing, โ€œSimmer Downโ€ is a highlife, soul and drilled infused anthem about keeping a winning mentality and practising patience to downplay opposition.

The songs, produced by his two in-house collaborators, Samsney and Joker Nharnah, were teased to fans during his acceptance speech for โ€œArtiste of the Yearโ€ at the 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards in Accra.

Since last yearโ€™s release of his debut album, The Villain I Never Was, Black Sherif has solidified his place as one of Africaโ€™s most powerful creative voices and amassed massive global streaming numbers, which made him the most streamed Ghanaian artist of 2022 on Spotify and the most streamed Ghanaian artist of all time on popular African streaming platform Boomplay.

With no tricks, Black Sherif has attained these zeniths in record timeโ€”leading the charge as one of the foremost homesteaders of the new sound coming from the motherland.

Self-professed as the โ€œstreet preacher,โ€ Black Sherif, who was birthed Mohammed Ismail Sharif Kwaku Frimpong and affectionately called โ€œBlackoโ€ by those close to him, is already one of the foremost leaders of a new epoch of African creatives.

The young act has withstood all odds handed to him since coming up in Konongo, a small mining town in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, to become the countryโ€™s biggest star. Carving out his lane by bringing a distinctive sound to a new African generation, Black Sherif bridges the gap between Afrobeats, Highlife and Asakaa (Ghanian Drill).

His potent wordplay, illustrative storytelling and unique proficiency to seamlessly slog between dialects, regions and genres, combined with his captivating, explosive performances, have bettered his talents across boundaries.

Recent days have been a whirlwind for Black Sherif, who for the first time graced sets around the world including Afro Nation Miami alongside Burna Boy, Pharrellโ€™s Something in the Water Festival, Wireless Festival in London and his debut headlining show at Palladium Times Square in New York City.

While in New York, OkayAfrica went after Black Sherif for their Summer 2023 cover story and he also granted an interview with Ebro for an exclusive Apple Music interview where he mirrored his journey so far.

Other contemporary highlights include his appearance on the blockbuster Creed III soundtrack, executive produced by J. Coleโ€™s Dreamville, with โ€œBlood, Sweat & Tearsโ€ alongside Bas and Kel-P, and his feature on โ€œCelebrate,โ€ a collaboration with Jamaican star Popcaan.

Black Sherif also was one of the notable celebrity guests, alongside Idris Elba and Sheryl Lee Ralph, to chaperone Vice President Kamala Harris in Ghana during her Africa visit in March.

ยฉ 2023 โ€ข Story By Edem Latsu Nukafu
Writer’s email:edemlatsu093@gmail.com


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