Such a shock - a real legend of UK dub poetry and a profound loss; I met Benjamin a few times in a work context and he also read a moving tribute to a friend and colleague of mine who died in 2007.
Oh, and he was also in Peaky Blinders too, for those who don’t know his poetry and musical collaborations.
Rest in power never seemed so applicable.
Benjamin Zephaniah, British poet and campaigner, dies aged 65 | Books | The Guardian.
Ah! That’s where I knew the face from!
Must confess to not knowing a great deal about the man but speaking from experience, it’s incredibly cruel to read about the timeframes regarding his diagnosis and death.
Oh man, really sad news. He visited my secondary school back in the 90’s and was really inspirational. R.I.P Benjamin.
Another good one gone. This is sad news.
Yeah really sad news. Seems like it was a pretty sudden too
RIP
discovered the gentleman after my exposure to
LKJ ( Bass Culture)and Mutubaraka
What a bummer year for the arts. I can’t even deal with this anymore, it feels like daily we lose someone. Rest in poetry.
the past couple years have been unbelievable … it’s been frequently artists of my generation which is really making me reflect a little more.
That’s really very good and appropriate.
I feel like the more I talk about this the more I’m going to dwell on mortality. I hope we all have many more to come, I wish you all good health and bright days. I need to exercise more and find some roses to smell.
Life’s too good to dwell on anything but positive thoughts!
oh boy… his tunes have been in my reggae collection since the 80s… a fine man
Along with the great Linton Kwesi Johnson, who fortunately is still with is, Zephaniah forms a unique national treasure. They both shaped a unique corner of first and second generation post-Windrush British Caribbean culture, mesmerising people equally with the art of the spoken word, music and written literature. Amazing and geniuses both.
He was on Question Time not long ago.
Some recent collaborators (and some not so recent) reflect on working with Benjamin: