"Take Care of Yourself Blacko", a 2-track EP from Black Sherif, is released

"Simmer Down" is a highlife, soul, and drilled infused anthem about maintaining a winning mentality and practicing patience to downplay opposition.

"YAYA" follows the viewpoint of his alter ego, a rebel who gave fate a chance and is in pursuit of reconciliation.

Fans were given a sneak preview of the songs during his victory speech for "Artiste of the Year" at the 24th Vodafone Ghana Music Awards in Accra, which were produced by his two internal collaborators Samsney and Joker Nharnah.

Black Sherif has established himself as one of Africa's most influential artists since the release of his debut album, The Villain I Never Was, last year.

He has also racked up enormous global streaming numbers, making him the most streamed Ghanaian artist of all time on popular African streaming service Boomplay and the most streamed Ghanaian artist of 2022 on Spotify.

Black Sherif has quickly reached these heights without the use of any tricks, and is one of the most important forerunners of the brand-new African sound.

Self-described as the "street preacher," Black Sherif, also known as "Blacko" by his friends and family, was born Mohammed Ismail Sharif Kwaku Frimpong and is already one of the most influential figures for a new generation of African artists.

Since his upbringing in Konongo, a modest mining town in Ghana's Ashanti Region, he has defied all odds to emerge as the biggest figure in the nation. By bridging the gap between Afrobeats, Highlife, and Asakaa (Ghanian Drill), Black Sherif carves out his own niche in the music industry.

His potent wordplay, illustrative storytelling and unique ability to seamlessly tread between dialects, regions and genres, combined with his captivating, explosive performances, has transcended his talents across borders. He dropped his first single ever, “Cry For Me,” fresh out of high school at age 17, while his next one, “Money,” released in January 2020, depicted his coming of age, maneuvering through the tough streets of Accra, Ghana.

His big break came in 2021 when his songs, “First Sermon” and “Second Sermon,” catapulted both him and Asakaa onto the map. “Second Sermon” was listed #16 on The Fader's 100 best songs of 2021 and the remix, which features Nigerian star Burna Boy, gave Black Sherif even more notoriety internationally.

But "Kwaku The Traveller," a smash song that went viral on TikTok and achieved more than 100 million streams in 2022, cemented Black Sherif's status as a rising artist. "Kwaku The Traveller" was deemed one of the finest songs of 2022 by NPR, The Fader, Complex UK, and other publications. Black Sherif received a nomination for "Best International Flow" at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards as a result of the success of the song.

The Villain I Never Was, his critically lauded debut album, was released in October 2022, and the lead track "Soja" debuted at #23 on the Billboard US Afrobeats chart.

Accompanying music videos for album favorites “45,” “Konongo Zongo,” “Oil in my Head” and “Oh Paradise,” stand as a testament to Black Sherif’s artistic depth as each of the conceptual visuals have amassed many millions of views on YouTube.

Recent months have been a whirlwind for Black Sherif, who for the first time graced stages around the world including Afro Nation Miami alongside Burna Boy, Pharrell’s Something in the Water Festival, Wireless Festival in London and his own debut headlining concert at Palladium Times Square in New York City.

While in New York, OkayAfrica trailed Black Sherif for their Summer 2023 cover story and he also sat down with Ebro for an exclusive Apple Music interview where he reflected on his journey so far.

His presence on the popular Creed III soundtrack, executive produced by J. Cole's Dreamville, with "Blood, Sweat & Tears" with Bas and Kel-P, and his appearance on "Celebrate," a collaboration with Jamaican superstar Popcaan, are a couple of other recent highlights. Along with Idris Elba and Sheryl Lee Ralph, Black Sherif was one of the prominent celebrities Vice President Kamala Harris traveled with in Ghana during her March trip to Africa.