One of the leading reggae stars in the 80’s and 90’s Ras Kimono is dead.
Ras Kimono was known for the hit singles ‘Under pressure’ and ‘What’s Gwan in a dis a country’.
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He was schedule to travel to the United States Saturday night, but complained of not feeling too well.
It was gathered that he fell ill on Saturday and rushed by friends to a hospital in Ikeja from where he was transferred to Lagoon Hospital in Ikoyi. He died on Sunday morning despite a planned trip to the US.
He was rushed to a hospital in Ikeja, Lagos, then later taken to Lagoon Hospital in the Island.
Music veterans, Tony Okoroji and Sir Shina Peters have confirmed the incident.
Ras Kimono was one of the veterans from the 90’s who continued to remain relevant on the music scene, mentoring and contributing to the Nigerian entertainment industry.
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BIOGRAPHY OF RAS KIMONO:
Ras Kimono served a long apprenticeship on the Nigerian music circuit, experimenting with a number of styles, before making his late 80s breakthrough as a reggae singer.
Together with his Massive Dread Reggae Band, Kimono released his debut album, Under Pressure, in 1989. Accompanied by the popular single, ‘Rum-Bar Stylee’, this revealed both a Jamaican and native African influence (the latter particularly evident in his ‘patois’ delivery, as frequently employed by Fela Kuti to communicate with the urban underclass).
His strongly polemical lyrics produced album sales of over 100,000 copies, and a fervent following for his advocacy of social change.
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“What’s Gwan†proved even more successful, with the topics selected including legalisation of marijuana, and the need for Africans to intellectually repel colonialism and its arbitrary boundaries between tribes.
Most controversially, he was not averse to naming directly those in power he saw as synonymous with backdoor imperialism.
www.sojworld.com © June 10, 2018
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