Biography
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Born
28 December 1987
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Born In
Edmonton, Enfield, London, England, United Kingdom
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Died
6 April 2020 (aged 32)
Black The Ripper (aka Samson, real name Dean West; 28 December 1986 – 6 April 2020) was a highly respected and favoured hip-hop and grime MC from Edmonton N18, North London. Although previously known on the North London circuit, he made his name in the infamous Axe FM clashes, where he duppied off numerous opponents consistently. Black The Ripper was one of the best emcees/artists in the scene at this time & will be for years to come; setting high levels with his consistent conscious bars and undeniable straight star quality that he brought to the mic.
Black remained a solo artist although he collaborated with many of the grime scene's biggest names, most notably his Motivation Music series with Cookie G, Moony and Chipmunk. He several solo mixtapes, starting with Black Is Beautiful (2005) and Holla Black (Samson Samson) (2006). Black's style reflected a sense of self-determination, creative consciousness, and entrepreneurship using subversive style to shock as well as entertain; his work challenged orthodox thinking whilst sticking two fingers up at the establishment. His music and non-compromising lyrics reflected the environment he grew up in; the views expressed in his lyrics are largely a mixture of commentary on issues such as poverty, religion, and racism. Black affluently mixed autobiographical details about his life struggles and mind's battles with emotional honesty creating vivid visual and aural imagery for the mind to reflect upon. Much of his music is politically oriented too; as an Edmonton resident and a well-respected individual amongst Edmonton's youth, he had first hand experience of the issues facing young people. Known for his blend of street and popular style, Black speaks the truth with mind-clenching lyricism; his lyrics focusing on revolution, institutional racism, police, capitalism, education, prison systems, religion, activism against governmental repression, and corporate control over the media. He has a signature poetic style that accompanies an easily identifiable loose and easy flow with a talent for piling multiple rhymes on top of one another in quick succession. Black has proven that he is able to adapt well under any beat or producer and has been consistent in writing good quality lyrics and punch-lines, as well as using a sophisticated and adaptable flow.
Although was offered a deal with at least one record label, he has never signed to any. Black voiced a desire to keep control over his production, and made statements in his music that he is very aware that it is record companies, not the artists themselves, who profit the most from mass production and marketing of music. Black released several mixtapes of high quality exceeding the industry standard without the help of a record label or distribution. He self-financed, manufactured, and sold copies of the records on the streets as well as personally distributing them to certain shops that specialise in Grime.
Black's music is inspired by historical and often political figures such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Che Guevara, Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie I, Elijah Muhammad, Joel Augustus Rogers, Chancellor James Williams, Shiek Ante Diop, Ivan Van Sertima and Tupac Shakur to name a few. He was a supporter of revolutionary principles and a prominent community activist in the struggle for racial pride and the creation of black political and cultural institutions to nurture and promote collective interests, advance black values, secure autonomy and increase black consciousness. He was also part of a community organisation called the "I.E.G.D.C" (Independent Edmonton Green Development Committee), which is a community-based group of young people working towards ensuring that funds intended for the procurement and management of youth facilities are allocated accordingly and that young people are given a say as to how these facilities are used (basically the whole point is to raise awareness about the lack of youth facilities in the Edmonton area and to hold Enfield Council accountable for smuggling away thousands of pounds of funds that should have been spent on youth facilities).
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