The man Roots Manuva once described as a "Britrap pioneer", the late, great David Victor Emmanuel, aka Smiley Culture, remains one of the most important figures in Black British music. His fusion of reggae and dancehall with early hip-hop was an seminal example of someone proudly using both Cockney slang and Jamaican patois in music ("Cockney Translation" is one of the most famous examples of what we're talking about).

Another of his hugely important tracks is his 1984 hit "Police Officer", an all-too familiar tale of being constantly stopped by the police simply for driving his car. Though he injects humour into his tale, playing the parts of the arresting officers as well, his frustration is palpable, especially when they offer to let him go in exchange for an autograph for their kids.

On me way a People's Club me pass through Victoria / And through me a entertainer say no tax 'pon me window / As me go through the lights the whole road take over / And as me drive nearer could see clearer it was a Black Maria

Ultimately, Emmanul's life ended in the kind of tragedy this very song spoke about when his life was taken in a police raid at his home in 2011. Though the official police line claims he died of a self-inflicted stab wound, many strongly suspect the police were more involved in his death than they admit.

Though Smiley Culture is no longer with us, his legacy in Black British culture remains a towering monument.