Akon has back with with another barrage of insults directed against Ghanaian artist and rapper Black Sherif.
In a recent media interview in which he compared African musicians to their American counterparts, the commercially successful American singer of Senegalese origin claimed Black Sherif reminds him so much of himself when he first started out in the business.
“Black Sherif is a demon. “He reminds me so much of myself,” he said to his presenter, British TV personality Zeze Millz, on BBC Radio 1Xtra.
He announced his attendance at the 2022 Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards, when Sherif performed soon before Nigeria’s Fireboy. Black Sherif “is a beast!” he said once again, recalling his night with Zeze Millz.
Akon provided a simple explanation for how a 20-year-old can have so much charm and stage presence.
“He’s African,” he shrugged to dramatise. We’re a little different when it comes to stage presence,” he beamed with pride. He juxtaposed African acts on stage with what has been his experience and observation “in America.”
“Those [people] will be wobbling with their pants [trousers] hanging half down, bored as hell, half-asleep because they are high as hell on stage,” the multi-platinum musician said matter-of-factly.
“In Africa, we wake up [ready]. Look at all these YouTube clips of all these kids from Uganda and how they’ll be…,” he tried to mimick the viral dance routines. “These kids are performers!”
“It comes easily to us,” he said of Africans. “It’s evident from seeing the African youngsters that it’s in their blood. “Performance comes naturally to us,” the record producer and singer-songwriter emphasised. “So I wasn’t surprised to see Black Sherif [on the MOBO stage, where he was a beast].”
“And Fireboy has his own swag that comes with him,” he said, nodding slightly.
“You can see he’s one of Africa’s fresh breed of brilliance.” Akon said.
