DOWNLOAD: Black Sherif honours late girlfriend in debut album ‘The Villain I Never Was’

Mohammed Ismail Sherif, the fast-rising Ghanaian singer better known as Black Sherif, has dropped ‘The Villain I Never Was’, his debut album.

The body of work contains 14 tracks, including ‘Soja’, ‘Kwaku The Traveler’, ‘The Homeless Song’, ‘Oil In My Head’, ’45’, and ‘Prey Da Youngsta’. 

Others are ‘Sad Boys Don’t Fold’, ‘Konongo Zongo’, ‘Wasteman’, ‘We Up’, ‘Toxic Love City’, ‘Don’t Forget Me’, ‘Oh Paradise’, and ‘Second Sermon’ featuring Burna Boy.

On ‘Oh Paradise’, the Ghanaian talks about the agonizing sorrow of losing his late girlfriend.

“The direct inspiration is from my late girlfriend, who was my first girlfriend at high school. She died on 5 December 2017. I made this before all the other songs on the tape,” he said.

“Writing ‘ Oh Paradise’, I was very frustrated. I was empty. And when the beat came on, I was like, ‘How I’m feeling right now, I think this is the time to make a song for this girl, Tina–tell her to be my angel.’ I love to turn [deceased] people in my life to angels.

“So, in the chorus, I’m telling her, ‘Tell me how it is in paradise,’ because I believe she’s there. ‘Tell me how it is in paradise, and when you are there, don’t forget I’m home. Ask for blessings for me, because there’s a lot going on in me right now. I’m going through things.

“Ask for blessings for me.’ Think about me, care about me, don’t lose that care. All the plans I shared with you, don’t forget them.”

The full project details Sherif’s introspection and expectations in life.

He also reminisces about difficult times in the past and the glorious future he cannot afford to miss.

The ‘Traveller’ examine diverse and contradictory issues like gangsterism and love; poverty and wealth; restlessness and the desire for peace.

“First thing I’ll say, [the energy] is 100… but I was more introspective on this album. I went deeper, I talked about my perspectives on love and things and my experiences. I talked about my external battles, my internal ones, how I cope and how I’m doing,” he said while speaking on Apple Music Africa Now Radio shortly after the album release.

“I really need to know myself and explore everything in me before I can start sharing it with people to help me tell my story. Music for me has always been very personal, like a safe haven for me to talk about my insecurities, things I can’t say outside, so to get someone on a record with me, I just feel like they can’t help me tell my story.”

He started pulling the weight of fame in Ghana after he came through with ‘First Sermon’ and ‘Second Sermon’, his hit singles.

Sherif became a viral sensation in Nigeria and other African countries after he released ‘Kwaku The Traveller’ featuring Burna Boy.

TheCable Lifestyle had described him as the “Ghanaian singer turning heads” with a plethora of hit singles that reverberate beyond Ghana and to Nigeria, the most populous black nation on earth.

DOWNLOAD: ‘THE VILLAIN I NEVER WAS’ BY BLACK SHERIF