South African reggae singer Lucky Dube was shot and killed on Thursday night in Johannesburg, apparently by carjackers.

Story here.

Dube, 43, grew up in Apartheid South Africa and started out singing in a more traditional style, but embraced reggae in part for its social and political leanings. Not everything he wrote was big-picture. Divorce Party might have doubled as an inside joke on politics, but it also works fine as a sardonic look at separation.

Two of my favorite Dube songs have familiar titles, but they're not covers.

In Taxman, he sang:

I pay my lawyer to fight for my rights
And I pay my bodyguard to guard my body
There' s only one man I pay
But I don' t know what I'm paying for
I'm talking about the taxman

And in Respect:

Give love to those who give you love
Love to those who give you war
Give love those who hate you
Bless even those who curse you

Respect is a great combination of idioms: a steady reggae groove and lacy guitar fills in the classic Afro-pop style.