Dancehall Artist Peppa Mourns Death Of His Mother, ‘Nanny’ Of The Twelve Tribes Of Israel

Dancehall artist Peppa is mourning the death of his mother, Alice Johnson, who was also the mother of the late Wycliffe ‘Steely’ Johnson, the famous producer who was known for his graceful keyboard riffs and digital bass lines.

Alice Johnson, who was known for her work with the Twelve Tribes of Israel, reportedly died of a heart attack. She was 74 years old.

“She got ill on March 26th and then she was diagnosed with end stage renal failure at the end of April and cervical cancer. She died of a heart attack… she went into cardiac arrest and died,” a distraught Peppa, who is known for the single, Hypocrite a Talk, told DancehallMag.

The deceased is survived by nine kids and several grandchildren.

Affectionately called ‘Nanny’ by her peers, she was born in 1947 and grew up in the tough streets of Trench Town in St Andrew. She reportedly gave birth to Steely when she was just 13 years old.

She was the first woman, alongside Sister Diana, to be a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, where she became an executive in the organization, and adopted the name Sister Zebulon the First.

She was also a singer in the group, Don Hudson and the Seers, an ensemble group that was affiliated to the Twelve Tribes of Israel that toured worldwide.

Cleveland ‘Clevie’ Browne, one-half of the famous duo, Steely & Clevie, calls Johnson’s death a “big loss”.

“I was in shock when I heard that she died of a heart attack because I thought that she was doing better. I know she had gone on dialysis, and she appeared to be doing better. This is a big loss for me personally. Steely was like a brother to me, I believe in honouring one’s mother and father, and she was like a mother figure to me, so this one hurts, this is a big loss for me,” Clevie said of the development.

Browne teamed up with Steely to produce timeless iconic records for legends like the crooner Gregory Isaacs and icons like Dancehall star Super Cat, whose hit Boops spawned many imitations, including the 1987 Boogie Down Productions rap classic The Bridge Is Over.

The Riddim Twins scored a Top 40 hit in the United States with their 1994 revamping of Dawn Penn’s Studio One classic ‘You Don’t Love Me (No No No)’ and reached the Top 5 in 2004 with another vintage reggae remake, Sean Paul and Sasha’s ‘I’m Still in Love With You’.

After signing a publishing deal with EMI in 1990, Steely & Clevie also collaborated with international acts like Heavy D, No Doubt and Billy Ocean.