Dele Fadele

Ayodele Fadele (8 August 1962 – March 2018) He wrote for the NME in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was one of the first music critics to introduce then emerging US rap artists such as Public Enemy, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest to mainstream British music fans.

Fadele had broad musical tastes, ranging from hip-hop and acid house to shoegazing, industrial and grunge. He wrote long pieces on artists including Nick Cave, New Order, 808 State, Einstürzende Neubauten, Marianne Faithfull and Osibisa.

He died in March 2018 from stomach cancer. His death was not known to his former music industry colleagues until August 2020. Fadele was always outspoken; Courtney Love described his damning review of Hole's 1991 gig at the Camden Underworld as "the worst" review she had ever received. In the article, Fadele asked: "So, could the same writer harbour such seemingly ignorant thoughts as England for the English (his inverted commas) considering his beloved England's past colonial adventures?"

Neither Fadele nor NME were apparently ever forgiven by Morrissey – according to The Guardian, "When ... the paper's sole black writer Dele Fadele persuaded NMEs editors to publish a critical cover story about it, Morrissey refused to speak to the magazine for 12 years."

Death Fadele died after a short illness with stomach cancer in March 2018. The news was met with widespread tributes.

Writing for The Quietus in an article published that day, John Doran said that Fadele was "one of those gloriously larger than life figures who instantaneously makes you realise that it is sometimes the music writers and photographers who live much wilder lives than the media-managed stars they document." Musician and writer John Robb wrote how Fadele's "deep love of music was hypnotic ... we would spend hours talking about noise rock, hip hop and afrobeat – he was incredibly clued up on a myriad of musical styles and was a completely switched on and inspiring presence."

Chuck D of Public Enemy said that Fadele was the "first black journalist from the UK that ever interviewed me", and that he "thought that was amazing. And it was for our first important spread in the UK music press too."