Ranking Trevor, Jamaican Hip-Hop Pioneer, Dead at 60
Rap-reggae pioneer Ranking Trevor died on Tuesday in a traffic accident in Jamaica, the Associated Press reports. He was 60. According to Trevor's brother, Robert Grant, the musician was crushed by a car after being knocked from his motorcycle.
Born Maxwell Grant, Trevor became a leader in "toasting" – a form of Jamaican rapping that's a direct predecessor of hip-hop – during the 1970s. He recorded mainly for the Channel One studio and his tracks like "Caveman Skank" and "Three Piece Chicken and Chips" charted in England.
He lived in the United Kingdom for over 20 years, though he returned to Jamaica in the 1990s after his career declined.
Trevor is survived by his mother, eight siblings and 15 children.