Top Boy actor and pioneering Mobo winner dies aged 44
British rapper and actor Sway DaSafo, known for his pioneering work in the UK rap scene and his role in Top Boy, has died at age 44. Tributes have poured in from the music industry and former collaborators.
Why it matters
Sway was a significant figure in UK music history, being the first unsigned artist to win a MOBO award and influencing major modern artists.
Sway DaSafo, an inspirational British rapper and producer of Ghanian descent, has sadly passed away at the age of 44.Rising up in the early 2000s, the star — who often just went by the name Sway — became the first unsigned rapper to win at the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards, where he was awarded the prize for Best Hip Hop in 2005. As an actor, he briefly appeared in Top Boy as Ross Rosten, starring on the show's first episode of season 1 in 2011. He also had a minor role in the film The Grind, which also starred EastEnders' Jamie Forman, Red Dwarf's Danny John-Jules, and The Curse of Steptoe's Zoe Tapper.During his pioneering music career, which saw him release five studio albums and two EPs, he also collaborated with Ed Sheeran, appearing on the latter's No 5 Collaborations Project at the start of Sheeran's career.
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