Black Sheriff is a Ghanaian singer and rapper. Born Mohammed Ismael Sherrif Frimpong to parents Ismael Frimpong and Auntie Marie in Konongo Zongo, a suburb in Konongo in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
Popularly known as Sheriff by his peers in Konongo but they will later join his name Sheriff to Black which later became his moniker and stage name Black Sheriff or Blacko by others.
His mum is a Muslim who worked as a seamstress before traveling to Greece to join Sheriff’s dad when Sheriff was in class five. His mum gained popularity in the country when Sheriff referred to his mum in his 3rd record, The Second Sermon.
He rapped that his mum had no idea the kind of life he was living at that moment. Sheriff raps, “Aunti Marie nim s3 this be the life I dey live for here. Things I see with my I eyes, s3 mi kayer3 m’abrewa noa she go stress” which translates in English “Auntie Mari has no idea this is the life I live here. My old girl (Auntie Marie) will stress out if I tell her the things I’ve seen with my eyes”. His dad Ismael Frimpong comes from Domeabra in Asante-Akyem in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
Sheriff’s breakthrough in the music scene began when he dropped his song Money, in January 2020 which went viral on all social media platforms.
Speaking to Kwame Sefa Kayi on the Kokorokoo morning show, after Money was released, he was motivated to continue doing music because of the positive feedback he received on the song from various people and social media platforms.
Money was followed by two other hit songs, the first sermon and the second sermon which helped the Black Sheriff image seal a spot and gain recognition in the music industry. Sheriff went on to release a series of hit songs to his catalog and an album, “The Villain I never was” which was released on 6th October 2022.
Aside from the recent competitiveness in the music industry which keeps social media buzzing with comments and reactions, senior high school rivalry in Ghana is also something most people cherish especially during national competitions and arguments among citizens on which school has produced the most prominent persons in the country.
Current students in institutions enjoy the honor and bragging rights of a celebrity being an alumnus of their Alma Mata. With the kind of image, he has built for himself in the music industry, many Ghanaians will like to know what the high school Black Sheriff completed.
Which SHS Did Black Sherrif Complete?
Speaking to Kwame Sefa Kayi on the Kokorokoo morning show, his passion for music began when he was in senior high school. Black Sheriff attended Kumasi Academy from 2016 to 2019.
Located in Asokore-Mampong in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, Kumasi Academy also known as KUMACA is a mixed senior high school that was founded in 1956 by the Ghana Baptist Convention.
It was known as Sadler Baptist College until the year 1960 when the Baptist mission handed over the school to the government. Today, Kumasi Academy can boast as one of the top senior high schools in the country due to its excellent performances in both internal and external examinations and competitions.
In an interview with Kwame Sefa Kayi, Sheriff said his music career began during his senior high school days at Kumasi Academy.
“It was in year two, that was in KUMACA. We used to beat tables and rap along during prep. I used to beat the table for others to rap. I didn’t rap. Then one day at prep, I decided to also try some four lines rap like the others did, and the response from my colleagues I rapped with was good which made me start writing raps. It all began with just four diss lines” Sheriff explained to the host of the Kokorokoo morning show.
He continued writing rap songs for a year till he finished school in 2019 and began recording and uploading his written songs on social media platforms.
His unique style and skills on a beat motivated him to audition for some of the best music reality shows in the country such as MTN Hitmaker and TV3 Mentor but failed to make the final cut in both reality shows.
Black Sheriff had always wanted to be a musician since SHS when he found out that he could write and put words together to make a beautiful song.
During his time in SHS, he used to
dance in his first year as a student at KUMACA performing at entertainment and in groups till form two when he started singing.
“I used to dance. The first year I was dancing till like year two-second term when I started singing with the man dem” he said during his interview with Citi Tv.
His last two years at KUMACA saw him perform at entertainments and sing in the school’s live band. “My last two years in school are when I started singing live band. The school’s LG”. He told Citi Tv. His life in Senior High school would not be complete without some high school memories and experiences.
Sheriff told Citi Tv that he was very adventurous and popular on campus as most students loved to engage him.
According to the “Kwaku the Traveler” hitmaker, he was never caught doing wrong or suspended in high school but his glory days of escaping from authorities came to an end when he was caught scaling a wall to town during his last days on the KUMACA
campus.
Coming from Konongo Zongo to his days on Kumasi Academy campus and performing during entertainment and the school’s live band, it was obvious Black Sheriff was destined for greatness and it’s all thanks to Kumasi Academy, the institution where he discovered his music career.
Since his introduction to the music industry, his art has catapulted him to win top awards both locally and internationally and also perform on big stages with top artists. He was recently crowned Artiste of the Year at this year’s VGMA awards in addition to other four awards he won that night.
Old students of Kumasi Academy would be proud of the product their institution has produced for the African continent and I encourage Ghanaians to continue
promoting his music to the world. Black Sheriff to the wiase!
Watch Black Sherif performing in his high school here; Throwback to high school days. Kumasi Academy❤️! w my g @nyamekye_ny! New Music Soon! | By Black Sherif | Facebook
