Reggae icon, Ras Kimono, is dead
By Temitope Ojo
Report sas Nigerian legendary reggae icon, Ras Kimono is dead.
Kimono, 60, was said to have taken ill on Saturday on his way to the US at the age of 60.
Friends rushed him to a hospital in Ikeja from where he was transferred to Lagoon Hospital in Ikoyi.
He died on Sunday morning.
Tony Okoroji and other members of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) were said to be on their way to the hospital as at the time of filing this report.
Born Ekeleke Elumelu, Kimono started out his career, firstly as a student of Gbenoba Secondary School, Agbor in Delta State and later as a member of the legendary Jastix Reggae Ital alongside Majek Fashek, Amos McRoy Jegg and Black Rice Osagie.
Ras Kimono who topped music charts in the late 802 s and 902 s with Dance hall hits “Under Pressure”, “Rumba stylee” and many other hits. His music was greatly influenced by the poverty, inequality and hardship he witnessed in his early life. He released his solo debut album Under Pressure on the Premier Music label in 1989, which propelled him to instant continental stardom.
He later released a string of hit albums, touring all over Africa, Europe and the USA promoting his brand of reggae music.
