Here's a tip. Don't try and list all the hip-hop, soul and reggae legends who have been taken from us prematurely, as you're sure to get RSI in your typing fingers before you get there. Far easier to list those genuine pioneers who are still with us. Quite frankly it's a bloody miracle Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and Aretha Franklin are still alive!

The death of Heavy D last week at the all-too-early age of 44 serves as another stark indicator that the Grim Reaper seems to particularly have it in for the black music world. Heavy and Guru were in the Favourite MCs list of many an old-school hip-hop head - not least many of us here at Black Sheep - and we're all starting to get a little bit pissed off with our heroes being ticked off like characters in an Agatha Christie murder mystery. Meanwhile, we're forced to suffer all the fake-ass clowns and corporate stooges, who haven't an ounce of talent or artistic vision between them, continuing to ply their Autotune-laden vocals-by-numbers, and dancing like puppets upon instruction in their soulless videos.

If you take the black/ soul/ urban music arena as a whole, then contrast its losses with that of the (considerably larger) white rock/ pop world, the results are stark. Sure, the latter genres have lost their legends too, but far fewer by comparison. Seeing rock dinosaurs like Elton John, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page, David Bowie and Mick Jagger still prowling around only rubs it in all the more - particularly as many of them have boasted about their drug and alcohol-fuelled lifestyles. Just HOW is Ozzy Osbourne still breathing, for fuck's sake?!

Even narrowing it down to The Beatles speaks volumes. While the two spiritually-enlightend ones are gone, the self-obsessed wanker McCartney remains. And just remind me again what the point of Ringo Starr is?

So, why does our game have it so bad?  Much of it clearly has to do with the social backgrounds from which the majority of black music's heroes come. The ghetto hustle has led to the demise of many a rapper who was never quite able to shake off the street life mentality and cross the line into fully-fledged showbiz performer. And when it comes to soul singers, the poverty of their early lives and associated poor diet, lifestyle and health risks seem to be a major factor. In Heavy D's case, it would seem, he just got unlucky.

All we're left with then, is the happy memories and strong musical legacies of our legends. At least we can take comfort in the fact that they made our lives brighter and more meaningful while they were around, and will continue to do so. And anyway, they're not really gone... which is something the Reaper would never want you to know. But you can trust me on that one...