Ghanaian rapper Black Sherif has finally released what was to be an extended play (EP) but turned out to be a long play (LP) also known as an album. 

Via labels RBA & EMPIRE, the eagerly expected 14-track project was released today, Thursday, 6 October 2022, executive produced by Mohammed Ismail Sherif (Black Sherif) and Aubrey Mensah Tetteh.

Lyrically, Blacko, as he is affectionately called, shares details about his life's journey and intimate thoughts as a young man; he even divulges his mother is concerned about him.

My mother “doesn’t like the path I’m on,” the Konongo-native notes in melody on the LP titled 'The Villain I Never Was', on which also, 'the black sheep' and acclaimed Kwaku Frimpong repeatedly registers his resolve.

Sonically, the album has the Drill and Trap flavours of Hiphop typical of the artiste but surprisingly, the 20-year-old experiments with reggae also. 

Again, on the subject of surprises, Sherif known mainly for music that bemoans life’s hardships while simultaneously serving motivation, dedicates some part of the album’s 40 minutes to the subject of love, its heartbreaks and its fleeting fun.

Ahead of the album release, on October 1, he tweeted, “It took me everything to give life to this body.” 

“The one thing in my life that I gave everything up for,” he added.

“There is life in this body, I hope it treats you good and speaks to you like I want it to,” he declared. 

On 4 October, 2022, track number 4 on the project titled ‘Soja’, the third and final herald for the album, debuted at number 23 on the U.S. Billboard Afrobeats Songs charts. 

With Nigeria’s Burna Boy as the only artiste featured on the album, Black Sherif had music production assistance from Ghanaian notables like the UK-based Jae5, Germany-based Ghanaian Stallion, Ghana-based Samsney and Nigerian London on da Track.