Rapper Ty Chijioke Dies from Coronavirus

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The Brixton-based rapper, who was 47, Ty Chijioke has died after being hospitalised with Covid-19 complications. This comes after the hip-hop MC was admitted into hospital with medical complications related to Covid-19 and placed into a medically-induced coma.

According to an update on April 19, Ty Chijioke was moved out of the intensive care unit and onto a ward while continuing to recover. Shortly after his hospitalisation, a fundraiser was set up for the rapper by his close friend, Diane Laidlaw, while he battled for his life.

 

“Ty has been a beacon in helping the community, now he needs the community to be a beacon for him,” the GoFundMe page read. “Ty (...) would give you his last penny if he had it to give. Always donating his time and energy to anyone that needs it.

 

I can often hear him say ‘Let’s make this happen’. The original witty joker who would always make you laugh with his facial expressions and undercover sarcasm. “He would be that friend that you can rant to without judgement. Always giving BUT always been afraid to ask for help.”

 

Born in London in 1972, the son of Nigerian immigrants, Ty Chijioke released his debut album Awkward in 2001, showcasing a tangibly British take on the US boom-bap style of hip-hop. Witty tracks like The Tale showed off his talent for storytelling and earned him a cult audience.

 

He broke through to wider attention with 2003’s Upwards, a brighter, more commercial album that brought him a nomination alongside Amy Winehouse and the Streets for the Mercury Prize the following year. The prize was eventually won by Franz Ferdinand.

 

In 2019 he formed a UK hip-hop supergroup called Kingdem with rappers Blak Twang and Rodney P, who performed an acclaimed freestyle on DJ Charlie Sloth’s Fire in the Booth series. Sloth called him “a friend, a role model and a true foundation to UK rap”; Blak Twang wrote that he was “so numb” following Ty Chijioke’s death. Over the years he also collaborated with De La Soul, Soweto Kinch, Roots Manuva and more.

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