Elephant Man robbed in London, UK



This report of a robbery & murder in London yesterday involving dancehall artist Elephant Man was taken from http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/


JAMAICAN dancehall deejay, Oniel Bryan, who goes by the appellation Elephant Man, was yesterday morning robbed at gunpoint of over £16,000 and a member of his party shot dead in the car park of a London hotel.

According to Elephant Man's manager, Desmond "Q 45" Blake, the deejay and his colleagues, Kip Rich and Ninja Kid, as well as a British radio disc jockey who calls himself D J Village, had just returned from a studio, when they were pounced upon by two thugs armed with knives and guns. The thieves stripped all four of jewellery, robbed them and shot D J Village, who died later.

Blake, who said he did not have all the details, told the Observer that D J Village was the person taking Elephant Man around London. "They had just left the dub-cutting studio and reached back at the hotel when the men came over and told them to get back in the vehicle," Blake said.

He said that Elephant Man told him via telephone that the men had "cocked the gun" in his face and he felt that they had wanted to kill him.

Elephant Man, Kip Rich, Ninja Kid and female dancehall singer, Ce'cile, had all been on a mini-tour of England from November 8 to 11. Elephant man, however, had stayed behind to do some promotional work with his record company, Greensleeves, on his recently-released album, Log On.

"He was supposed to do the Log On video today (Tuesday) and was slated to return to the island on Wednesday," said Blake, who had accompanied the artiste on the tour, but had flown back to Jamaica last weekend.

When asked why Elephant Man would have been carrying around so much money, Blake explained that a lot of it came from doing "specials" for various sound systems after the tour.

It is a common practice for Jamaican artistes, while on tour, to keep their money and passports on them -- their two most prized possessions.

"I'm not too concerned about the money," Blake said. "Right now, I'm glad he's alive and I truly regret the passing of D J Village."

20 Nov 2001.


Steve #1151

Jah Warrior Records
Trafalgar House
Grenville Place
London NW7 3SA UK
Tel/Fax +44 (0)20 8906 0080

Posted: Fri - December 12, 2003 at 01:46 PM      

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