“Black Sherif Is No.1 in Africa Now”: Nigerian Fan Compares GH Singer to Rema”

• A Nigerian fan has expressed his undying admiration for Ghanaian singer Mohammed Ismail Sherif Kwaku Frimpong, aka Black Sherif
• The fan in his submission weighed in on the trending debate about Black Sherif and Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Rema
• He emphasised that Black Sherif's impeccable craft could not be compared to any other singer on the continent
• YEN.com.gh spoke to entertainment analyst Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh about the comparison between Rema and Black Sherif

A Nigerian fan in love with Black Sherif's music has described the rapper as "the number one artiste in Africa now."

In a video gaining traction on TikTok, the fan [@hipasgras] argued that Black Sherif was in a league of his own and not even Afrobeats sensation Rema could compare.

Black Sherif began his career in 2019 with the release of his song "Cry for Me" on YouTube. It was in the same year that Rema's self-titled EP featuring his debut hit Dumebi was released.

Rema has achieved several record-breaking feats on the Afrobeats scene. His album, Rave & Roses Ultra, has become the first African album to hit 3 billion streams on YouTube Music.

His worldwide hit with Selena Gomez became the most-streamed Afrobeats song with over 1 billion streams.

Despite Rema's high-flying strides as Afrobeats poster child, [@hipasgras] believes he has nothing over Black Sherif in terms of content.

"Rema may have all the viewers, streams, subscribers and fame. He may be playing all the big shows going around. Black Sherif may even look like an underground artiste in front of Rema. However, as a man listening to Black Sherif flipping life's pages, you'll know that he is the messiah," he said.

"Black Sherif is number one in Africa now. The number one preacher. No young artiste can compare himself to Black Sherif. We don't need to compare Rema and Black Sherif. It's a disrespect," he added.

Speaking to YEN.com.gh about the Rema vs Black Sherif debate, entertainment analyst Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh said,

"Black Sherif is no ordinary artiste, and his strides in Ghana, Africa, and the world are no small feat. However, Rema is also in an entirely new league of his own. As such, both artistes cannot be weighed on the same scale. However, fans will be fans. I cannot think of such fan comparisons hurting the relationship between both youngsters as long as they are both self-aware of what they have individually and continue to respect each other."

Reactions to Black Sherif vs Rema debate

YEN.com.gh gathered a few comments from netizens in reaction to the debate about Black Sherif and Rema.

kay. eL said:

"Most artists claim they come from the street and from the slums, but they only sing about Nyash. Blacko is different."

Officialkwekus shared:

"Even Rema meditates with Black Sheriff's music in the night 🫡."

Empressmercedes14 remarked:

"Rema is a hit in Nigeria and certain parts of Africa, but Black Sherif is cherished more outside Africa, and his legacy will remain because he doesn’t follow any trend."

Dela_90s shared:

"10 years from now, Black Sherif’s songs will still make sense."

Thyrese Raymond added:

"Black Sherif creates music for the future, while Rema sings for the present."

Black Sherif makes it to BET Awards 2025

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Black Sherif had been spotted at the 2025 BET Awards show in Los Angeles, California, at the iconic Peacock Theatre.

The 23-year-old star was nominated in the highly competitive category of Best International Act.

Female Nigerian sensation Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, known professionally as Ayra Starr, pipped Black Sherif to win the coveted award.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh