Obituaries

Smiley Culture dies during police raid

By | Published on Wednesday 16 March 2011

Smiley Culture

Reggae DJ and MC Smiley Culture, who enjoyed success in the 80s with tracks such as ‘Police Officer’ and ‘Cockney Translation’, died yesterday from apparently self-inflicted stab wounds after police raided his Surrey home.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Scotland Yard said: “As part of an ongoing operation officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s serious and organised crime command today attended a residential address in east Surrey to carry out an arrest warrant. While they were at the address, an incident occurred during which a 48 year old man died. Officers from Surrey police attended the incident and it has been formally referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission”.

Born in south London in 1963, Smiley Culture, real name David Emmanuel, first rose to fame as a DJ for the Saxon Studio Sound System, and released his first single, ‘Cockney Translation’, in 1984. However, it was the follow-up, released later the same year, ‘Police Officer’, for which he is best known. The song tells the apparently true tale of Emmanuel being pulled over in his car by police and being found in possession of marijuana, only to be let off when the police officer recognises him and asks for an autograph.

The album that followed, ‘Tongue In Cheek’, didn’t enjoy the same level of success as ‘Police Officer’, and Emmanuel’s music career soon started to wane. His final single release was ‘Mr Kidnapper’, in 1986.

In September last year Emmanuel was arrested, along with four other men, on charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine. At the time of his death he was awaiting trial.



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