Rapper Black The Ripper dead at 32: Tributes pour in as it’s revealed the marijuana advocate has passed away… days after he was pictured relaxed and happy in the Caribbean
Rapper and prominent marijuana advocate. Black The Ripper has died, it has been revealed. He was 32.
The musician, real name Dean West, initially rose to fame with his hugely popular mixtapes Afro Samurai and Holla Back, which were released in the early noughties.
While he continued to make music in the years that followed, he eventually became a voice in the push to legalise marijuana in the UK.
While it’s known yet known how the star, also known as Ital Samson, died, a host of musicians took to Twitter to share their condolences as the news broke on Monday.
Fellow MC Chip, shared a snap of himself posing with the Edmonton, north London, MC in happier times, as he wrote: ‘RIP my brother,’ preceded by a heartbreak emoji.
South London grime MC Novelist stated: ‘I can’t believe the news I’ve just got. I had good times with you cuz. Everyone’s gonna miss you. Rest in peace Black the ripper.’
In what may have been his last publicly known picture, West was snapped posing with friends on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, where he has family ties.
In the shot, the star was seen posing front and centre as he leaned against a silver Mercedes as he donned a green T-shirt and blue Adidas shorts.
Captioning the image, the poster wrote: ‘2020 we isolated from the Bs. Stay woke @blacktheripper #corona #selflove #1link.’ [sic]
By Monday evening, a solitary picture of West was posted on the same account, alongside the words: ‘#hope ur at peace my brother This one too mad… RIP @blacktheripper.’