British Reggae Singer Smiley Culture (Davis Emmanuel -47) died today after a police raid in his Warlingham home. Police are still investigating his death. Smiley Culture was , born and raised in South London and gained fame as a DJ with the Saxon Studio Sound System.
He released his first single Cockney Translation in 1984 but his best known hit was Police Officer which was a Top Twenty hit and earned him two performances on BBC music show Top of the Pops.
Emmanuel had claimed the song, a light-hearted take on police attitudes to black people at the time, was based on his own experience of being let off by officers when caught with a spliff after recognising who he was. In tribute to this man, here is Police Officer:
