DJ Black Face and his vision for Ghana Zongo Music

 It all started at an outdoor event at Filin Ladidi (Ladidi’s Square). A DJ had been recruited to lead the bash on the day. However, his friendship with a certain Hausa rapper meant he was invited to listen in on a yet-to-be released track by a group that would come to lead Ghana music from the heart of Nima. The DJ loved the track and asked to be allowed to premiere it at his event. He dedicated the song to a certain Hajia Jamila ‘Allah Yasa Muji Daad’, aka Mama Jam. That track was Rana Sallah, by VIP, and the man was DJ Black Face.

Prince Mallam Tanko

DJ Black Face was born Abdul Latif Yusif. The last of 24 kids born to Mamobi’s Chamba Chief, the 15 Bob-native also had four elder sisters on his mother’s side. That earned him the traditional moniker of Tanko as the boy born after a group of girls.

Though he only managed to complete Junior High School, Abdul Latif admits to being a brilliant student while studying at Al Fallah Islamic School, aka Makaranta Mallam Sofo. At the end of his basic Islamic education, he became a teacher as part of his service to his alma mater.

But Mallam Tanko, as he became known, had also started MCing events just around that time. Those days he was more of a hype man who cheered the women at parties within the community. Western Sounds, the man who first put him on, saw the talent in the young Mallam and started putting him on shows. And so while the headmaster at Mallam Sofo was admonishing him to take his studies seriously, Mallam Tanko was jumping through windows in the middle of class to compere outdoor events.

Coming of Age

It is not uncommon to find DJs and producers who have a talent or love for singing/rapping. Abdul Latif was no exception, and just like the young guys of his generation, he was enamoured of international acts involved in hip hop and other genres. Eventually, he would get into Dope Rhymes studio to record his own song where a producer would refer to his dark face in a bid to identify him. His friends teased him with the name till it stuck. Soon, the man everyone called Mallam Tanko became DJ Black Face.

Through his DJ gigs, DJ Black Face would go grow close to a certain Friction of Filin Ladidi. It so happened that just around the time he was performing in Friction’s neighbourhood, the Hausa rapper had brought a few like-minded spirits together to form what would become Vision in Progress – VIP; the other members were Lazzy, who later became Zeal, Promzy, Prodigal, and Bone, whom many forget was a founding member of the popular Nima group.

Owing to how close they were, DJ Black Face had the honour of being invited to listen to the group’s very first song. The DJ fell in love with the Dangerous-sampled track. He gave his thumbs up to the group and asked to be allowed to play it at his event. The rest is a vision still in progress, one where DJ Black Face hopes to create a platform for more Zongo artistes to follow in the footsteps of legends like Friction and his VIP group.

Ghana Zongo Music

Over the next many years, DJ Black Face would also usher D Flex’s Nasake song into the consciousness of Nima natives. This time, it was his relationship with MOB that did the trick. The video for Nasake was shot right in front of his studio in Nima.

DJ Black Face’s access to Zongo musicians grew with time and it was no wonder that he started to envision a world where these talented artistes had the requisite platform to push them to higher heights. Ghana Zongo Music was, thus, birthed, and despite initial hiccups, DJ Black Face is positive of future success.

The veteran DJ is looking forward to a future where young artistes like Ebaada (NT4), Sadiq Technic, Tip Tahir, Ghali GH, and others will receive the support they need to tell Zongo stories. He is looking forward to a Zongo Music Awards, cyphers and rap battles as well as regular local and international shows to complement Sallah Fest.

DJ Black Face is tapping into his vast connections for this project. He has a recording studio in Ruga, Kanda, where young and experienced artistes troupe to collaborate with him. He is building another studio in Kasoa.

Bala Maikankan, who has been a stalwart on the Zongo creative scene, is president of Ghana Zongo Music. Meanwhile, DJ Black Face continues to collaborate with veterans like Friction, MOB, Zeal, FBS, Hajia Police, and many others to help see the dream come true. As with projects that rely on communal-participation, Ghana Zongo Music might take time to bear fruit. With one cypher already out of the way, however, the future is bright for DJ Black Face and Ghana Zongo Music.

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