Smiley Culture

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Smiley Culture
Polydor

David Victor Emmanuel (10 February 1963 – 15 March 2011),

DJ known for his "fast chat" style. During a relatively brief period of fame and success, he produced two of the most critically acclaimed reggae singles of the 1980s.[2] He died on 15 March 2011, aged 48, during a police raid on his home. An inquest found that his death was a suicide.[3] Campaigners and his family have expressed scepticism about the official verdict[4] and the police version of events.[5]

Biography

Emmanuel was raised in Stockwell, south London, the son of a Jamaican father and Guyanese mother.[1][6] He was educated at Tulse Hill School.[7] His "Smiley" nickname was gained due to his method of chatting up girls at school – he would ask them for a smile.[6] Prior to his recording career he worked as a DJ with many of London's reggae sound systems, most often with the Saxon Studio International system, where he met and worked with a number of other reggae artists, including Maxi Priest, Papa Levi and Tippa Irie.[6][8]

Signed to the London-based reggae record label

deejaying that had originated with Jamaican deejays such as Ranking Joe, and was developed further by British toasters, particularly those on the Saxon sound system such as Peter King.[11]

Emmanuel had chart success with his next single, "Police Officer", released towards the end of 1984. This was the supposedly autobiographical tale of how Emmanuel was arrested for the possession of cannabis, but then let off in return for an autograph when the policeman recognised him as a famous reggae artist.

UK Singles Chart.[6] His success led to an appearance at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in Jamaica in 1985.[15]

After this he signed to major label Polydor, but his work for them – including the album Tongue in Cheek, and the accompanying single "Schooltime Chronicle" – did not replicate the chart success of "Police Officer". He also hosted the Channel 4 television show Club Mix in 1986 and 1987.[6]

In 1986, Emmanuel made a cameo appearance in the film

NatWest in 1986.[16]

Culture has been identified as a major influence by later black British musicians such as

DJ Luck and MC Neat, and Roots Manuva, the latter describing him as a "Britrap pioneer".[17][18] "Cockney Translation" was one of the choices of novelist and poet Michael Rosen when he appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.[19]

In 2010, Emmanuel told The Guardian that after his career in music he began investing in diamond mining, and by 2010 had gold and diamond mine concessions in several countries including Ghana, Uganda, Liberia, Kenya, and the Congo.[20]

Arrest

After being arrested in July 2010, he was charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine, and on 28 September he appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court in London.[21] His trial was due to begin on 21 March 2011.[22]

Death

Wikinews has related news:

On 15 March 2011, Emmanuel died from a self-inflicted stab wound,[23] while the police were searching his house on Hillbury Road [24] Warlingham, Surrey. His death came an hour and a half after officers arrived with a search warrant[25][26][27] relating to the import of Class A drugs into the UK.[3] A post-mortem examination revealed that he had died from a single stab wound to the heart.[27] He is survived by his mother, son, daughter, sister and three brothers.[1]

His death was investigated by the

Metropolitan Police Service
to improve the planning and execution of their drug seizures.

However, Emmanuel's family raised concerns about the investigation, claiming that the IPCC "had let [them] down" and that many "unanswered questions" remained.

2011 United Kingdom riots, led by the London School of Economics in collaboration with the British newspaper The Guardian, identified Emmanuel's death, perceived by some as a prominent case of police abuse, as a contributing factor to the riots.[34]

Discography

Albums

  • Tongue in Cheek (1986),
    Polydor
  • The Original Smiley Culture (1986), Top Notch
Contributing artist

Singles

  • "Cockney Translation" (1984), Arthur Daley International/Fashion
  • "Police Officer" (1984), Fashion –
    UK
    No. 12
  • "Cockney Translation" (re-issue) (1985), Fashion – UK No. 71[35]
  • "Schooltime Chronicle" (1986), Polydor – UK No. 59[36]
  • "Mr. Kidnapper" (1986), Polydor
  • "So What" (1986), Boiling Point – promo only
  • "Noff Personality" (1986), Culture
  • "TV Lover", Senator
  • "Can't Stop the Rap" (1990), SBK/Capitol

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Simpson, Dave (2011) "Smiley Culture obituary", The Guardian, 15 March 2011, retrieved 16 March 2011
  2. ^ [1] Archived 7 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b "Jury returns suicide verdict at Smiley Culture inquest – News". London 24. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  4. ^ "SMILEY CULTURE | THE 4FRONT PROJECT". 4FRONT. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  5. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-7535-0242-9
    , p. 276
  7. ^ "tulsehillschool.co.uk". tulsehillschool.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  8. ^ O'Hagan, Sean (1985) "1st Offender", NME, 2 February 1985, p. 10-11
  9. ISBN 978-0-415-27602-3
    , p. 194
  10. ISBN 978-0-252-02620-1
    , p. 135
  11. ISBN 1-84353-329-4
    , p. 401
  12. ISBN 978-0-415-05875-9
    , p. 142
  13. ^ Kliment, Bud "Smiley Culture", Trouser Press, retrieved 15 March 2011
  14. ISBN 0-563-36452-1
    , p. 294
  15. Montreal Gazette
    , 30 May 1985, p. C-16
  16. ^ Banking World, 1987, volume 5, p. 26
  17. ^ Martin, Gavin (2001) "And this is really Neat; Garage heroes DJ Luck and MC Neat clean up in the charts", Daily Mirror, 21 September 2001, p. 18
  18. ^ Martin, Gavin (2002) "The word on The Streets ; Mike Skinner used to sell fast food, but his debut album, Original Pirate Material, looks set to catapult him to the top of the Britrap scene. Gavin Martin meets the 22-year-old live wire and hails the current explosion of home-grown rappers", The Independent, 15 March 2002, p. 13
  19. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs - Michael Rosen". BBC. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  20. ^ Simpson, Dave (2010) "From pop star to chiropractor: musicians' post-musical careers", The Guardian, 24 September 2010, p. 18
  21. London Evening Standard
    , 28 September 2010, retrieved 15 March 2011
  22. Daily Telegraph
    , 16 March 2011, retrieved 18 March 2011
  23. ^ "Reggae star Smiley Culture didn't stab himself during police raid". BBC News. 2 July 2013.
  24. ^ "Smiley Culture death: No crime committed, says IPCC". BBC News. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Reggae star Smiley Culture 'stabs himself to death' in police raid". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  26. ^ "Reggae star Smiley Culture dies during police raid". BBC News. 15 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  27. ^ a b Hill, Amelia (2011) "Smiley Culture died from single stab wound to heart, postmortem finds", The Guardian, 17 March 2011, retrieved 17 March 2011
  28. ^ Hill, Amelia (29 November 2011). "Smiley Culture's death in police raid does not justify charges, IPCC rules". The Guardian. London.
  29. ^ "A year after his death during a police raid at his Surrey home, we commemorate Smiley Culture | The Multicultural Politic". Tmponline.org. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  30. ^ "IPCC statement following inquest into death of David Emmanuel, also known as Smiley Culture". Ipcc.gov.uk. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013.
  31. ^ Amelia Hill (29 November 2011). "Smiley Culture's death in police raid does not justify charges, IPCC rules". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  32. ^ Lee Jasper (15 December 2011). "Deaths in police custody cut deep in the psyche of black Britons". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  33. ^ Nina Power (28 October 2011). "Let there be justice for those who have died in police custody". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  34. ^ Raekha Prasad (5 December 2011). "English riots were 'a sort of revenge' against the police". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  35. ^ "Official Charts Company – Smiley Culture". Archive.is. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  36. ISBN 1-904994-10-5
    .
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