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BREAKING: Reggae Legend Ras Kimono Is Dead


Nigerian Reggae singer, Ukeleke Onwubya, popularly known as Ras Kimono, is dead.

He reportedly died at the age of 60 on Sunday in a Lagos hospital.

Kimono’s debut album Under Pressure, led by the single “Rum-Bar Stylée”, was a big hit in the Nigerian music scene in 1989.

In a chat with PUNCH before his death, the reggae star said, he had been a vegetarian for over 37 years and neither smoked nor drunk alcohol.

He said, “I have never smoked and I don’ t drink alcohol. I tell people I have been a vegetarian for 37 years. Even when my friends were having sex with two girls at the same time in those days, I didn ’t join them. I have never done what these girls and boys call threesome despite being famous and I am sure there are other people who have never done that too.

“When people attribute recklessness to youthful exuberance, I get worried because I once passed through that stage too. I believe it is all about your upbringing. The fact that you are young doesn ’t mean you should be wayward.”

According to Wikipedia, the deceased who was born in Delta State, started out his career, firstly as a student of Gbenoba Secondary School Agbor and later as a member of the Jastix Reggae Ital, alongside Majek Fashek, Amos McRoy Jegg and Black Rice Osagie.

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.

The album had hits such as “Under Pressure”, “Natty Get Jail” and the massive hit “Rhumba Style”.

He later released a string of hit albums, touring all over Africa, Europe and the United States, promoting his brand of reggae music. He won several awards including the Nigeria Music Awards, Fame Music Awards and many more.

In 2010, he was still performing to a loyal fan-base of all ages and his music is still played on radio, throughout West Africa.

Kimono served a long apprenticeship on the Nigerian music circuit, experimenting with a number of styles, before making his late 1980s breakthrough as a reggae singer.


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