D-Black Grabs Sony/ATV Signs Global Publishing/Distribution Deal

A decade ago a young rapper out of nowhere rapidly rose to the top of the ranks of the Ghanaian music industry spitting slick witty bars mainly in the English language.

Very unheard of at the time, he attained the same level and maybe even bigger mainstream success than most of the local dialect rappers in Ghana were at the time, making jiggy danceable records with a blend of rap, hiplife and highlife music.

It was unprecedented at the time. You couldn’t be nominated for Artist of the Year or Song of the Year at the revered Ghana Music Awards rapping in English, or Most Influential Artist of the Year at their 4Syte MVA’s with anglophone Hip-hop records. Who had done that before? No one. Hip-hop in English was for the underground and didn’t go anywhere they all said a decade ago.

That was the case until D-Black came on the scene in 2010 and did it all.

He immediately hit the BET Awards scene as Best International Act (Africa) representing Ghana with his first album ‘Music, Love & Life’ that same year, had arguably the year’s biggest song ‘Vera’ with his next album ‘The Revelation’, in 2012 won The VGMA’s Hip-hop/ Hiplife song of the year , won the Channel O Awards Best West African Act in 2014 with ‘Falling’, after multiple nominations beating Nigeria’s Wizkid, D’banj and more. With multiple collaborations with Africa’s finest from Davido on ‘Carry Go’, Ice Prince on ‘Get On Da Dancefloor Remix’ to M.I on ‘Champ’ to HHP and Cassper Nyovest from South Africa to Navio from Uganda, Tay Grin from Malawi, Cleo Ice Queen from Zambia, D-Black has done it all and is about to do more. The young D-Black showed class and such business acumen you had to wonder. In 2015 after topping charts with his Castro collaborations ‘Personal Person’ & ‘Seihor’ and winning awards at Ghana’s Music Awards and 4Syte Music Video Awards, D-Black took a brief hiatus.

His success gave birth to the dawn of a new era of Hip-hop, a fusion of the Ghanaian sound and the western-influenced Hip-hop drum patterns over English and maybe pidgin vocals.

Fast forward, in 2020 years almost a decade later, Forbes Africa magazine in their June 2019 cover edition called him ‘The Creative in the numbers game’.

‘I want to put Ghanaian music on the forefront of the Afrobeats global wave and this is just the first step with Sony / ATV. This isn’t just for me, I’m in the process of finalizing a label deal with them for all my artists, producers and partners and also sharing information with other acts so together we could all move forward as a unit, as a collective from Ghana, Africa. I’m excited to learn more and empower myself and my team to be a force to reckon with not only as an artist but as a music business executive and as an African label as a whole worldwide’ D-Black shared.

The young enterprising D-Black hits his 10th year as a solo act in the music industry in July 2020 as he wraps up his 5th studio album in Los Angeles, California on the back of signing a global publishing deal with the world’s biggest publishing company Sony/ATV amidst the Corona Pandemic.

“D-Black’s skills and talents will be a great addition to the Sony/ATV family. We are excited to represent and partner with him in the next phase of his career” said Rowlin Naicker MD of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“I sincerely hope this signing showcases to Ghana our commitment to prioritize and work with Ghanaian songwriters and producers. Chale I am excited for what the future holds for us” said Munya Chanetsa the newly appointed A&R Manager: Africa.

About Sony/ATV Music Publishing:

Sony/ATV Music Publishing is the #1 global music publisher, which is home to world-class songwriters, legendary catalogs, and industry-leading synchronization licensing and production music businesses. With an international network of 38 offices, Sony/ATV represents many of the most iconic songs ever written by celebrated songwriters such as The Beatles, Bob. Dylan, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Queen, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder, as well as contemporary superstars such as Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, P!nk, and Sam Smith.

Sony/ATV South African songwriters include Hugh Masekela, Abdullah Ibrahim, Brenda Fassie, Mdu, DJ Maphorisa, Samthing Soweto, E Kelly, Freshlyground, Mafikizolo, Mi Casa, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Beatenberg, Celebration, JR, D’Banj, Matthew Mole, Busiswa, Moonchild and Oskido.

About D-Black

The young artist / entrepreneur from Ghana, has taken his craft and hiphop- Afrobeats fusion style of music internationally and has performed headlining in London at the 02. He has also performed in numerous cities around the world including New York, Dubai, Toronto, Johannesburg, Capetown, Amsterdam, Coventry, Lagos, Brescia, Washington DC, Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles and more.

He’s collaborated with some of Africa’s most prolific acts including Davido, Mayorkun, M.I, Phyno, Ice Prince, Seyi Shay from Nigeria , Cassper Nyovest, Bucie, HHP from South Africa, Stanley Enow from Cameroon, Stella Mwangi from Kenya and Vanessa Mdee from Tanzania as well as Sarkodie, Shatta Wale, StoneBwoy, Castro, Bisa Kdei, Efya, King Promise, Kuami Eugene E.L, Kwabena Kwabena, VVIP and more from his homeland Ghana.

D-Black has a catalogue of hit records including Somebody ft. Kwabena Kwabena, Get on the dancefloor, Kotomoshi ft. Zeal, Personal Person & Seihor with Castro, Badder ft. Kuami Eugene, Vera ft. Joey B, Dat Ting, Obiba ft. Kidi, Red Card, Ebaa Over Bo and more.

With six singles released in the past 10 months, ‘DatTing’ , ‘Falaa’ and ‘ObiBa’ featuring Kidi from Ghana as well as ‘Heaven Or Hell ft. Sefa and Stay ft. Nigerian songbird Simi off his hip hop EP ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ D-Black is currently on a worldwide media tour and just recently signed a global deal with SONY ATV as he readies his 5th studio album.

D-Black is the founder and CEO of Black Avenue Muzik, an independent record label in Ghana home to chart-topping award-winning music producers DJ Breezy, Rony Turn Me Up and an all-female artist rooster including award-winning highlife & soul act Sefa, Rapper Nina Ricchie aka The African Tsoobi & guitar playing sensation Ms. Forson.

D-Black has had an incredible career spanning almost a decade and has also been behind the emergence and success stories of a number of acts including VGMA Best New Act Winner 2013, Joey b, and 2014 VGMA Music Producer of the Year DJ Breezy through his Black AvenueMuzik label.

D-Black has won 24 awards out of 59 nominations as an artist/entrepreneur in these 10 years.

The Ghana Bwoy is set to drop his 5th body of work in 2020.

WATCH ‘SOMETIMES’ (The Animated Video) BY D-BLACK here: