Seminal Grime Producer Terror Danjah has Passed Away

Terror Danjah’s music career predates the grime genre, whose sound he helped shape in the early 2000s.

Fans of grime music are reeling at the news that Rodney Price aka Terror Danjah, an artist closely associated with the genre’s origins, has died of unspecified causes.

D Power Diesle, another UK grime pioneer, shared the news in a post on X. “Terror Danjah has unfortunately passed away,” he wrote. “God bless all his family, I will let you know when I know more.”

Back in August 2019, Price had fallen into a coma due to a stroke. In the years that followed, fans noted a decline in his online activity, leading many to speculate about his condition while he and his family kept details close to the chest.

Rodney Price was born in London’s Forest Gate district to Jamaican parents who exposed him to soundsystem culture at an early age. In 1998, he formed a jungle and drum and bass outfit called Reckless Crew, which garnered support from Rinse FM.

But it was Price’s work as a with N.A.S.T.Y. Crew in the early 2000s that cemented him as a figure in the grime genre, which emerged from UK garage around the same time period. He worked with emcees like Wiley and Hitman Hyper, cutting key records like “Love Is Here To Stay” on Aftershock and “Sonar” on FL Records.

Alongside fellow producers DaVinChe and Scratcha DVA, Price is credited as an originator of the rhythm and grime (R&G) subgenre. Its emphasis on emotional palettes is perhaps best encapsulated in his 2005 single “So Sure” featuring Kano and Sadie Ama.

Price also released on tastemaker labels such as Hyperdub and Planet Mu, with the latter giving a home to his debut studio-length album, The Instrumentals 2003-2009. He put out records like “Lyrical Weapon” featuring Irah and the Red Flag EP on his own Hardrive Records all the way up until he started battling serious health issues.

We here at EDM Identity express our sincere condolences to the family and supporters of Terror Danjah aka Rodney Price during what can only be a difficult time.