Catch up on the essentials
- Sway DaSafo, the London-born rapper and producer born Derek Safo to Ghanaian parents, has died at the age of 44 at his home in Ghana.
- In 2005, Sway became the first unsigned artist to win Best Hip-Hop Act at the MOBO Awards, beating international stars including 50 Cent and The Game.
- The MOBO Awards released a statement mourning Sway and recalling his 2005 breakthrough as "a huge moment.
Selected from this article · 2026-09-18
Read on for the full pictureDeath in Ghana at 44
Sway DaSafo, the London-born rapper and producer born Derek Safo to Ghanaian parents, has died at the age of 44 at his home in Ghana. His death was confirmed by a close friend and reported by The Guardian, with a cause of death not publicly disclosed. The news was first carried on September 17 and continued to draw tributes into September 18.
Landmark 2005 MOBO win
In 2005, Sway became the first unsigned artist to win Best Hip-Hop Act at the MOBO Awards, beating international stars including 50 Cent and The Game. He had not yet released a debut album at the time, and his victory was widely framed as a statement about UK hip-hop's potential at a moment when British rappers were still fighting for recognition alongside their US counterparts. His Mercury Prize-nominated debut album "This Is My Demo" followed in 2006 and included the single "Little Derek," which reached No. 30 on the U.K. Singles Chart.
Career arc and collaborations
Sway began his career with Phynix Crew and One before going solo, later founding Dcypha Productions and partnering with Akon's Konvict Music, which produced his 2008 album "The Signature LP." He scored further UK chart success with "Still Speedin'" reaching the Top 20 in 2011 and "Level Up" climbing to No. 8 in 2012. His collaborators over the years included Ed Sheeran, Kano, Riz Ahmed and Akon, and he also acted in the 2011 premiere of "Top Boy" and the 2012 film "The Grind."
Tributes from MOBO and KSI
The MOBO Awards released a statement mourning Sway and recalling his 2005 breakthrough as "a huge moment. Not just for Sway, but for UK Hip Hop." The organization extended condolences to his family and friends. KSI, whose early music career Sway helped shape, shared a photograph of the two together and wrote that the rapper had been "like a father figure to me," crediting him with giving him a chance "when many didn't." Sway had previously spoken publicly about a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in 2010 and the treatment that followed.
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