Adesope Olajide congratulated Black Sherif for spearheading the ‘#PlayGhana’ initiative
UK-based Nigerian radio and TV personality Adesope Olajide has congratulated Black Sherif, Reggie Rockstone, Samini and other Ghanaian musicians for spearheading the ‘#PlayGhana’ initiative which he credits for Black Sherif’s streaming dominance.
In a video shared on his Instagram handle on December 4, 2025, the media personality reacted to the news of Ghanaian artistes dominating the top 30 most-streamed songs in Ghana lists, with Black Sherif at the top position.
This, according to him, reflected on how Ghanaians have embraced local music over the past 24 months after the launch of the #PlayGhana Initiative in December 2023.
It could be recalled that the then Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, in collaboration with the Creative Arts Agency and some stakeholders of the music industry, launched the #PlayGhana initiative.
This initiative aimed to promote Ghanaian music across the country ahead of the Christmas ‘detty December’ activities where there is an influx of diasporans spending their holidays in Ghana.
At the press briefing, musicians Smallgod, Samini, Reggie Rockstone and Black Sherif were present to help push the initiative.
According to Olajide, that initiative marked a shift in the listening behaviour of Ghanaians.
“About two years ago, some people made a conscious decision that they had noticed, particularly in December, when it was time for people to travel over to Ghana and stuff like that. The music that was being played, not only in the clubs, but on the radios that people were streaming was largely foreign music, whether it was Nigerian, whether it was hip hop and R &B, but a lot of the Ghanaian artists were sometimes struggling to get into the charts.
“They decided that it was time to advocate for more plays and support for local talent and local music in Ghana first before celebrating and opening its doors to music from everywhere else,” he recalled.
He credited a coalition of music personalities, led by names like Smallgod, Reggie Rockstone and DJ Mensah for starting the push to prioritise Ghanaian music.
Olajide said it was a bold move at the time, noting that some critics labelled the effort unnecessary or nostalgic.
“This was a group of people that came together and had this incredible press conference, and they invited a bunch of other artists. They told me that they invited a lot of other artistes.
“Of course, it opened conversations with people attacking these guys and criticizing them and saying this and saying that.
“A lot of people attacked these OGs and thought that they were out of their minds. The musicians that they asked to come on board refused to follow them,” he recalled.
He singled out Black Sherif, “the star boy and still the star boy of young Ghanaian music,” as a key figure who backed the cause early.
“Black Sheriff, who was the star boy and still the star boy of young Ghanaian music, at the moment, he showed up to support these OGs and their quest for support for local talent,” he added.
He argued that the streaming dominance now enjoyed by Black Sherif and other Ghanaian acts is proof the initiative paid off.
He stated that Ghanaian music re-claimed its audience at home, and in doing so regained global attention.
“The conversation changed the mindset. It forced the hands of the influencers to see the positives in these questions that was being raised. And now Ghanaian artistes and their music industry is reaping the benefits for a collective decision and change in direction,” he said.
Olajide specifically praised Black Sherif for braving the potential backlash in supporting the cause.
“Shout-outs to the OGs and Black Sheriff who put his career on the line at that time. Now you’re ripping the benefits my brother. You’re the most-streamed artiste in Ghana now because you stood up for what was right, what was right for your people and what was right for your colleagues and you are reaping the benefits of it as a young man,” he concluded.
A dominance in streaming
Recent streaming-platform data support the view that Ghana’s music consumption is increasingly homegrown. According to a 2025 recap, Black Sherif topped both Spotify and Apple Music charts in Ghana, with his album ‘Iron Boy’ and older project ‘The Villain I Never Was’ ranking among the most-streamed albums nationwide.
Moreover, his single Sacrifice was named the most-streamed song in the country for 2025, while other tracks such as ‘So It Goes,’ ‘Soma Obi’ and ‘Lord I’m Amazed’ also featured prominently among the top-streamed songs.
Watch the video below:
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