The British rapper Sway, who proved inspirational to a generation of Black British musicians thanks to his independence and frank, dextrous storytelling, has died aged 44.
The news was announced by the Mobo awards, with whom Sway won best hip-hop act in 2005, the first unsigned act to do so. “Proud to have him as part of our history. Our love goes out to his family, loved ones and fans,” the statement read.
It was confirmed to the Guardian via a close friend, who said he died at his home in Ghana. No cause of death has been announced.
Born Derek Safo, and later known as Sway Dasafo, he was born in Hornsey, north London, to Ghanaian parents, and as well as training as a producer, he honed a versatile rap flow that could be deployed on high-tempo grime and club tracks as well as thoughtful hip-hop leaning material.
That versatility meant that he didn’t fit into any one scene: “UK garage was big at this time but I just couldn’t do it because I never felt the vibe of the scene suited me,” he said. “British hip-hop was just so dry and grey, hiplife was a no-no ‘cause I couldn’t rap in Twi, drum’n’bass just hurts my head sometimes and I can’t sing good so R&B was out the question! I never felt at home anywhere.”
He started out in the groups Phynix Crew and One, before going solo and releasing a series of mixtapes. Breakout single Up Your Speed was a minor hit, but follow-up Little Derek – a manifesto for his own greatness, celebrating how “he ended up in HMV instead of HMP” – broke the UK Top 40 in 2006.
It became a cornerstone track of his debut album This Is My Demo, which accrued critical acclaim – including a four-star review in the Guardian – and his Mobo award, where he beat the much more established likes of 50 Cent and the Game. The album was also nominated for the Mercury prize, losing out to the Arctic Monkeys’ debut.
Safo continued to release via his own Dcypha Productions label but entered into a partnership with Konvict Music, the label from Senegalese-American pop star Akon, who was one of the guests on the next Sway album, 2008’s The Signature LP.
He later admitted difficulties as his fame grew, citing “ego, too many lights, and too much confusion” around the time of The Signature LP, but continued to embrace a more commercial sound and generated his biggest chart successes: the Ride on Time-sampling Still Speedin’ became his first Top 20 hit in 2011 (and featured a guest verse from Kano), then was outdone by Level Up, produced by dubstep star Flux Pavilion, which reached No 8 the following year.
Safo also collaborated with Riz Ahmed, appearing on the Riz MC track Shifty; Ed Sheeran, appearing on his No 5 Collaborations Project EP; was courted for tracks by the US rappers Lupe Fiasco and Chamillionaire; and worked with other British rappers including Tinchy Stryder, Akala, Mitchell Brothers and Donae’o. He also crossed into other genres, guesting on Kaiser Chiefs’ third album Off With Their Heads.
He nurtured artists on his own label and was instrumental in developing the career of KSI, who went on to have huge success as a YouTuber and musician. Safo and KSI had a minor hit together in 2013, No Sleep, featuring another young charge of Safo’s, the rapper Tiggs Da Author.
He and his wife Helen married in 2013, and had four children: Jalil, AJ, Inaya and Imara. In a recent social media post Safo described himself as a single father.
