Black Sherif reveals Amakye Dede inspired his hit album iron boy

Ghanaian music sensation Black Sherif has disclosed that his critically acclaimed album Iron Boy drew deep inspiration from legendary Highlife icon Amakye Dede, whom he later discovered to have a family connection with.

In an interview on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz on Tuesday, the award-winning artiste revealed that his visit to Amakye Dede’s residence unexpectedly led to the album’s concept.

“There were layers to the decisions behind making Iron Boy. I went to Nana Amakye Dede’s house and realised he was my grandfather — the real Iron Boy. It wasn’t intentional. I went to pay homage and later found out he was a family friend from generations back.

That was the first layer — homage,” he explained.

Black Sherif, popularly known as Blacko, added that he had considered featuring the Highlife legend on the project. “To be honest, I did think about putting Amakye Dede on the song, but it just didn’t manifest in bringing the thing up,” he said.

Released on April 3, 2025, Iron Boy has become one of Ghana’s most successful albums, debuting at number six on Spotify’s UK Top Debuted Albums chart and setting a record with over 2 million first-day streams. The album has since surpassed 103 million global streams.

On Apple Music, Iron Boy dominated the Ghana Top Albums Chart for 158 days, while five of its songs reached number one on the Ghana Top 100, led by Sacrifice, which held the top spot for 23 consecutive weeks.

Across Audiomack, Black Sherif achieved a major career milestone by crossing 1 billion total streams, cementing his status as Ghana’s most streamed artiste on the platform.

The success of Iron Boy marks another milestone in Black Sherif’s career — a testament to his lyrical honesty, emotional storytelling, and seamless blend of Afro-trap, Highlife, and soulful street poetry that continues to redefine modern Ghanaian music.