Ben Chijioke ‑ a British rapper better known by his stage name Ty – died on 7 May 2020 due to pneumonia after intensive treatment for COVID-19 had seemed successful on 19 April.
Ben Chijioke, 47, released the albums Awkward (2001), Upwards (2004), Closer (2006), Special Kind of Fool (2010) and A Work of Heart (2018). Upwards was nominated for a Mercury Prize. Ty collaborated with musicians such as Shortee Blitz, Drew Horley and Tony Allen.
Benedict Chijioke was born in London, into an Igbo family from Nigeria. He spent many years of his youth in the care of private foster parents in Jaywick, Essex, as reported in a 2019 Channel 4 News feature by Symeon Brown.
Chijioke was one of over 10,000 West African children sent from the inner cities to be fostered by white parents in rural England, whilst their birth parents worked and studied to build a better life for them,[citation needed] even if it meant only seeing them on rare visits.
In the feature, Chijioke said: “My parents said we are going now, but you’re staying. So we didn’t know why we were being left here.” He added: “I learned the long way around to love who I am, to love my identity and nationality. I learned with blooded lips.”
In 1995, he co-founded Ghetto Grammar, a pioneer in hip hop education in the UK. Ty’s first album, Awkward, was released on Big Dada in 2001. His second album, Upwards, was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2004. His third album, Closer, was released in 2006. It featured guest appearances from De La Soul, Speech, Bahamadia, and Zion I, among others.