‘His delivery cut through class barriers': Moby, Mala and other musicians on working with Benjamin Zephaniah

The Guardian

15-04-2025

Tuesday marks the 67th birthday of the late Benjamin Zephaniah – revolutionary poet, playwright, musician and fearless voice for social justice – following the inaugural Benjamin Zephaniah Day held over the weekend at Brunel University. But while he is widely celebrated for his work in literature and activism, Zephaniah's influence on music remains relatively overlooked.
Emerging from the dub poetry scene, Zephaniah channelled personal experiences of systemic racism and state violence into intelligent spoken word. Albums such as Rasta combined politically charged poetry with dub rhythms and studio effects, laying the cultural groundwork for UK genres such as trip-hop, jungle and dubstep. We revisit his unique collaborations in electronic music, hearing from the artists who had the honour of working with him.
Zephaniah's Rastafari-inspired wisdom, Natty's roots-infused minimalism and Mala's DMZ-era dubstep combine to raise the consciousness vibration in Word & Sound – an uplifting, intergenerational union years in the making. 'Benjamin was like an older brother to me, we were sometimes on the phone for hours,' Natty says. 'So when I asked him to be part of a project I was doing, he wrote his verse immediately.' They recorded at Akala's Ladbroke Grove studio in London then spent hours listening to Zephaniah's stories – including his rightous refusal of an MBE.
Natty says the vocals were meant for the track Badman (Rastafari mix), but when Mala reached out, the dubstep producer was sent them instead. 'Working with such powerful voices was something else,' says Mala. 'Their words guided my creative process. Benjamin's verse is a reminder to stay true and keep growing in heart and spirit. Rest in peace, sir, we salute you.'
Natty continues to include the track in his live sets in memory of his friend. 'Whenever we met, we'd sometimes spar, as we both studied martial arts. I remember how strong he was, which made his passing even harder to accept. He was just a down-to-earth, brilliant human being. I'm so grateful to have known and learned from him.'
Born-and-bred Brummies Kofi Stone and Zephaniah are a force to be reckoned with in this collaboration – one of Zephaniah's last, recorded in summer 2023. He steps into the resilient role of mentor in this ambient electronic-infused hip-hop track, as Stone reflects on growing up in Birmingham and navigating poverty and racism. 'It was truly an experience I'll never forget,' Stone says.
Ahead of the recording, Stone met Zephaniah outside the Birmingham Hippodrome, where he was narrating the Peaky Blinders ballet. 'Before the show, we spoke at length about family, music and the state of the world,' recalls Stone. 'He later drove us to the studio and recorded his verse in just a few takes. The whole process was surreal and beautiful.'
The video to the track was produced months later. 'Benjamin was actually quite unwell at the time,' says Stone, 'but he was determined to make the shoot. We filmed his scene on a rooftop car park in Birmingham's Chinatown.' That was [another] day I'll never forget.'
Zephaniah joined Bomb the Bass and Sinéad O'Connor to deliver a critique of colonialism in this trip-hop-influenced production, imagining a life-sucking vampire as a metaphor for empire. Tim Simenon, AKA Bomb the Bass, says: 'I remember smoking a lot of weed with Sinéad while recording Empire. She sang the lead vocal in one take, then added harmonies and backing vocals.'
Simenon instinctively knew that Zephaniah's voice would contrast powerfully. 'He was such a warm, open guy. We spent a long day in the studio, bouncing ideas around until we landed on the spacious delivery we recorded. He gave the final mix an approving head nod – he was super pleased with the result. We mostly spoke about music, especially dub. We shared a love for Big Youth, Lee 'Scratch' Perry and On-U Sound.'
I Have a Dream pairs Zephaniah's cheeky twist on Martin Luther King's iconic speech with atmospheric dub techno. It's one of two tracks featuring him on Luke Slater's LB Dub Corp album Unknown Origin, the other being Take a Ride. 'When I reached out about combining a track with his poem I Have a Scheme, he was up for it straight away,' Slater says. 'We somehow ended up debating vegan food in China.'
Reflecting on their final exchange, Slater said: 'Benjamin had just received the album copies I sent and told me he played the track for his students. I was humbled. I miss him in this dimension, but his words live on.' He had intended to ask him to collaborate a second time. 'Then a week later he was gone. He left too soon. His words always carried a message – not always comfortable, never bland. His delivery cut through class barriers and reached people from all walks of life.'
The duo Swayzak captured Zephaniah's rebellious spirit in this unapologetically anarchic track. 'Working with Benjamin was an unexpected delight,' says James S Taylor. 'There was no ego, no pressure, just good vibes.' The collaboration quickly grew into a friendship. 'We talked deeply about politics and the British empire,' David Brown says. 'The Brummie West Indian poet – quite a person to have in one's life.'
A 2024 'redraft' of Zephaniah's 1999 poem Illegal was released under the title Do Something Illegal as a tribute to Zephaniah under Brown's ambient alias, the Eightsome Reel. The track ends with the sound of heavy rain, recorded the day Brown learned of Zephaniah's death. 'It hit me hard – I was in East Kilbride when I heard, a place where he once lived.'
Released in June 2024 as part of his album, Always Centered at Night, Moby's Where Is Your Pride? is a tribute to Zephaniah. He says: 'As a vegan activist and as a wise and compassionate man, Benjamin inspired me for many years. I hope Where Is Your Pride? honours his legacy and also draws people's attention to his life, work and principles.'