Mourning the death of the Mercury Prize-nominated rapper is British music mogul Gilles Peterson who describes the MC as 'an original no nonsense voice' in his social media tribute.
- May 7, 2020
AceShowbiz - Mercury Prize-nominated rapper Ty has died from coronavirus complications, aged 47.
The Nigerian-British star, real name Ben Chijioke, passed away on Thursday, May 07.
He was admitted to the hospital last month, after testing positive for the virus and reports suggest he was put in a medically-induced coma, so doctors could administer the appropriate treatment.
He was moved out of intensive care in mid-April as his condition improved, but he fell ill again last week.
Paying tribute to Ty on Thursday, British music mogul Gilles Peterson tweeted, "I'm so sad about the news that @tymusic 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 always sharp always witty. todays generation of rappers owe him a lot - a true gate opener (sic). RIP."
Ty released his debut album, "The Awkward", in 2001 and followed it up in 2003 with "Upwards", which was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Last year, Ty formed the hip-hop supergroup Kingdem with fellow rappers Blak Twang and Rodney P.
Tributes have also poured in via social media from Roots Manuva, Blak Twang and Ghetts.
