A Christian rapper has been charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving, over an alleged ‘hit and run’ in Ilford.
Justin Clarke-Samuel, 41, goes by the stage name Ghetts. On the day he appeared at Stratford Magistrates' Court, the victim died in hospital, meaning the charge could be elevated to one of death by dangerous driving.
Ghetts has been open about Christian faith, particularly on his 2018 album Ghetto Gospel: The New Testament.
On the track Spiritual Warfare, he sings: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper / I've got God as my sponsor / But I still got the devil on my back though… I know my nan prays for me everyday but I'll still leave my yard with a rambo”.
Last year, Ghetts told Kiss FM that his relationship with God was the main way in which he grew in 2023. He described the death of his grandmother that year as a turning point his faith journey, saying: “Because I watched her faith never waver… my reason was ‘I want to see my nan again’.”
“I started praying, and it was different,” he said. “With the Almighty, it’s different. Us who worship, we’re also human.”
In 2021, he won the Best Male Act at the Mobo Awards, and in 2024 received the Mobo Pioneer Award for significant contribution to British black culture.
Ghetts has been remanded into custody and is due to appear at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on Monday 27th October. Police are appealing for witnesses.