pictured on stage in Amsterdam in 1980. Photograph: Rob Verhorst/Redferns
Today's drop features Linton Kwesi Johnson, also known as LKJ, a Jamaican dub poet and activist. Born in Jamaica in 1952, he has lived in London since 1963. His politically-charged verse, written in transcribed Jamaican patois, is often performed over dub-reggae. Through highlighting the struggles of black people in Britain in his own tongue, Johnson's unique poetry has given voice to a generation of black writers and hip hop artists in Britain today. He has recently been awarded the prestigious PEN Pinter prize 2020 for his 'political ferocity', the judges saying that 'few post-war figures have been as unwaveringly committed to political expression in their work.’