Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” was a weird mix of reggae, rock and new wave. The British singer wrote “Electric Avenue” in response to the 1981 Brixton Riot that was the result of tension between Black youth and the police. Brixton’s Black citizens were angry and suspicious about the deaths of 13 Black teenagers who died in the New Cross house fire and ongoing acts of discrimination. Grant was outraged by the events and wrote the song soon after relocating to Barbados. Electric Avenue is also the first market street in South London to have electricity. Surprisingly, “Electric Avenue” was one of the biggest hits of the ’80s and received heavy play on MTV after Michael Jackson’s “Bille Jean” broke through on the network for Black artists. Killer On The Rampage is Grant’s sixth album and it is his most successful having made the top 10 in the UK and the United States. Eddy Grant’s 15th studio album Plaisance was released in 2017. In 2020, Grant sued Donald Trump for using “Electric Avenue” in an advertisement.
