South African Hip-Hop Legend Ben Sharpa Has Died
Rest in bars, Ben Sharpa.
Veteran South African rapper Ben Sharpa, who was prominent in the mid-2000s died this morning, at age 41. He had been hospitalized for complications due to diabetes.
Ben Sharpa was a respected lyricist, whose music touched on social and political issues in South Africa. He has an acclaimed album under his belt, titled B. Sharpa, which was released in 2008 by the Cape Town-based indie label Pioneer Unit. The album boasted the massive street hit "Hegemony," in which the artist was rapping about police brutality.
In 2012, he released an album called 4thDensity Light Show (4DLS) with the production duo Pure Solid.
Ben Sharpa toured Europe extensively in his prime. He performed at festivals such as Glastonbury (UK), Dour (BEL), Paleo (CH), Extrema (NL), Riddim Collision (FR) and Rio Loco (FR).
The South African hip-hop community is mourning the passing of the legend.
Massively sad news about #BenSharpa. Rest in peace, power and poetry. A dope emcee. I had just been listening to him paying respects to fallen rap soldiers on this track https://t.co/VpDNJR2nZ1
“Death is like the extension of life, not the ending"
— Planet Earth Planet Rap #PEPR (@PEPRradio) 26 July 2018
#RIP to a South African Hip Hop legend Ben Sharpa pic.twitter.com/okejmRxnGB
— 🔥 xLLMas 🔥 (@real_illmas) 26 July 2018
wow ben sharpa died. sad news.
— Maria McCloy (@MariaPodesta) 26 July 2018
Kaptin my Kaptin @bensharpa R.I.P
— African Eskimo 🇿🇦 (@rushay) 26 July 2018
S.A. #hiphop suffered a MASSIVE blow today. 😢😭 Rest in eternal POWER #BenSharpa! One of the greatest to ever drop bars in the southern hemisphere & the only underground cat with a HYPE mag cover.
WHY THE LEGEND GOTTA DIE WHILE THE TRAPPERS MULTIPLY?? pic.twitter.com/qw8T3bFiJk
— Govan Whittles (@van1go) 26 July 2018
Rest in Power The god Ben Sharpa... pic.twitter.com/6MnvWCUvLp
— Ask_kaTownshipThanos (@BotsaKamax) 26 July 2018
These Photos Are A Window Into South African Hip-Hop's Mid-2000s Era
