Senior Reporter
soyini.grey@guardian.co.tt
The local music industry is mourning the death of soca artiste Hilton “Ghetto Flex” Dalzell Jr.
The 51-year-old died yesterday from a suspected heart attack.
His friend and producer Richard “Charsu” Ahong said Dalzell Jr’s mother confirmed his passing.
He made his name with the band Second Imij but also went solo, delivering some hits including Rock Your Body and Wine and Bend Over, both with Denise Belfon, as well as Voom Voom.
As news spread on social media, several people in the entertainment industry reacted, including soca star Fay-Ann Lyons, who was among the first to pay tribute.
“Another RIP to an artiste that gave significantly to the industry. We have lost another. Rest in peace Ghetto Flex. Those who were able to have seen and experienced your energy! Your music lives,” she said
Ahong said Dalzell Jr lived in St Vincent but returned to Trinidad during Carnival 2023 for a Second Imij reunion tour. He said his friend was one of the nicest people anyone could ever meet.
It was a sentiment shared by Ian ‘Bunji Garlin’ Alvarez who, in his tribute, said Dalzell Jr always made time for him when he was an up-and-coming artiste.
“Thank you for your guidance, for treating many of us like blood family and for always encouraging from behind the scenes when you couldn’t be there,” Alvarez said.
Born September 14, 1972, Dalzell Jr followed his father’s footsteps into the entertainment industry. By age eight, he was a Junior Soca Monarch winner. While in Second Imij, he was paired with Russell Codagan as the frontline singer for the band. Dalzell Jr sang lead on some of their biggest hits, including Golo. At the time, he was known as “Hilton HD”. When he decided to go solo, he turned to soca producer Ahong and changed his name to Ghetto Flex.
“We did two songs, I think we were pioneers at the time with the videos,” Ahong said.
“We did something called ‘Voom Voom’ and ‘Soca Daddy’ which we actually did videos for.”
