His breakthrough single, “Kwaku The Traveler,” became a meme, with one of its lines — “Of course I fucked up / Who never fuck up? Hands in the air / No hands” — chopped up to soundtrack goofs and gaffes on social media. But the song isn’t a gag. It’s a raw reflection on past mistakes, a statement of desire to move forward a better man.
Sherif is eager to show the whole shape of himself in his music: his past relationships, loss, his own life history. “I always want to get my stories right,” he says. “The message needs to be right before it gets out, because I don’t know how people are taking my music. It could be deeper than what I think it is. Whatever we’re putting out there, it’s out forever.”
Mohammed Ismail Sherif grew up in Konongo, a town in Ashanti, Ghana, now immortalized in song via the Villain track “Konongo Zongo.” “When they say ‘zongo,’ it’s like the trenches, the slums,” he explains. Sherif’s parents were traders mainly living in Greece; his Dad was a tire salesman while his Mom sourced bags and shoes, bringing them back to Ghana for relatives to sell.
“Everything I make, I want to make it evergreen and put in my pain, my all. That’s what I believe is art.” — Black Sherif
An only child, Sherif spent time living with extended family members and moving from place to place while his parents weren’t around. But Sherif absorbed music when his mum was home. She’d play Ghanaian highlife in the house, and he lived across the street from a musical ground that hosted traditional festivals twice a week.
