Dean West (b. 1987 – d. April, 2020), otherwise known as Black The Ripper or Samson was a Grime Mc and rapper from Edmonton, North London.

Black The Ripper used to perform regularly on old pirate radio station Axe FM where he clashed several opponents and emcee’s, this is where he first made his name. Eventually he would become a regular face on Grime DVD’s and on mixtapes with fellow North London Grime artists.

Besides releasing a barrage of mixtapes on his own, he also created a music series with fellow North Londoners Chip & Cookie to create three different volumes of the ‘Motivational Music’ series.

His lyrics are known to be very reflective of his views and opinions on society, poverty, racism, religion, capitalism and education to name a few.

In April 2020 the sad passing of Black The Ripper was confirmed whilst he was on holiday on the island of Montserrat. The cause of his death is as yet unknown.