By now you would have already learned of the death of Arianna Foster, more popularly known in the dancehall community as Madussa.
Ari Up, the front woman for the British band The Slits, died last week wednesday at the age of 48 after a battle with cancer.
Foster stepfather John Lydon confirmed her death last week. John Lydon is the said Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols.
“John and Nora have asked us to let everyone know that Nora’s daughter Arianna (aka Ari-Up) died today (Wednesday, October 20th) after a serious illness,” the statement read. “She will be sadly missed.”
Ari Up was only 14 when she formed the all-girl reggae-rock band The Slits in 1976. She got the name Madussa in the dancehall community in the 1990’s for her long dreads and outrageous dance moves. Ari became heavily rooted in Jamaican music culture since then. The group has been recording and touring intermittently for the last several years.
In 2008, Ari Up appeared on Lee Perry’s album,Repentance and as early as last year the new Slits released a new album with Narnack Records entitled “Trapped Animal.” The video for one of its singles, “Lazy Slam,” has been released a day after her death, which was according to Forster’s wishes, the label said.
“We had the privilege over the last couple of years getting to know Ari both professionally and as a friend,” said the label’s president, Shahin Ewalt. “Ari was a rare and beautiful person. She had so much energy, and was full of life. She was fearless, pushing the boundaries of music in unprecedented ways. You can hear her direct influence in punk, indie and reggae over the course of the past three decades.”
See the video below
R.I.P Madussa aka Arianna “Ari Up” Foster… comments below.
