Maccasio
Image: Photographer not named by source; published by Music In Africa; Music In Africa. CC BY-NC 4.0. Source.
Summary
Maccasio, born Sherif Abdul Majeed, is a rapper from Tamale in northern Ghana. His work belongs to the city's hiplife scene, where local musical knowledge and speech meet digitally produced popular music.[1][2]
Life and career
He grew up in Zogbeli, within Tamale's Zola area. In his account, school notebooks filled with rap lyrics led to demo recordings and a commitment to music. Early circulation depended on online sharing, radio and relationships with DJs, producers and supportive friends. He treated those networks as essential to building an audience.[1]
Music and style
He has described American rappers as a source of inspiration, while explaining that a studio beat often sets his writing in motion. He also writes on his phone while travelling. Phyfferoen's research places him among northern Ghanaian artists developing new combinations of inherited and contemporary idioms within Tamale's informal music industries.[1][2]
Works and performances
His albums include Bousu, O Shihila Nkpe, Ninsala, Zero 2 Hero and Glory. Concerts in Tamale have been an important part of his career. A 2023 account documents his partnership with Apprise Music Distribution, showing how digital distribution joined the earlier channels through which his recordings circulated.[3]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Exposed Vocals: Maccasio interview, 2016. Accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dominik Phyfferoen: The Dagbon Hiplife Zone in Northern Ghana, 2019, Ghent University record and full text. Accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ Gabriel Myers Hansen: Maccasio receives Apprise Music honour, Music In Africa, 10 July 2023. Accessed 23 October 2026.