Colleagues and fans of Nigerian-British rapper, Ben Chijioke aka TY, have paid tribute to the artist who died after contracting covid-19.
The rapper , 47, died on May 7, in the United Kingdom. His death was announced by Diane Laidlaw.
According to Laidlaw, TY was admitted to hospital with complications related to COVID-19, and was put in a medically-induced coma. He woke up and appeared to be getting better but last week contracted pneumonia in hospital and died on May 7.“The family would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has reached out and expressed their concern since he was admitted to the hospital,” Laidlaw wrote.
“But right now they would value having their privacy, so they can mourn privately.”
Laidlaw cautioned fans and colleagues to maintain lowkey tributes after some of his loyalists took to social media to celebrate his music achievements.
Top British hip-hop artists, who collaborated with TY, have taken to Twitter to eulogize him.
DJ Gilles Peterson asserted that TY has a huge part in the development of hip hop and spoken word in the country saying, ”I’m so sad about the news that TY passed away today. He was a huge part in the development of Hip Hop and spoken word in this country. An original no-nonsense voice was always sharp, always witty. Today’s generation of rappers owe him a lot – a true gate opener. RIP.”TY, a versatile rapper was born into a Nigerian family and was well known for his old school style of witty and raps delivery.
In 2001, TY released his debut album ‘Awkward’. His sophomore album, ’Upwards’ was nominated for the Mercury Prize alongside singer Amy Winehouse, ’The streets’, and the winner, Franz Ferdinand in 2004.
