Samuel Mensah, CEO of Uncle John’s Bakery, rapper and co-founder of the podcast and social enterprise Dope Black Dads, has tragically passed away after contracting Covid-19.
RIP to our founding member, friend, business and inspiration Samuel Mensah aka Xploder pic.twitter.com/cwudtedMam
— DopeBlackDads (@dopeblackdads) January 28, 2021
The charismatic, warm and highly motivated Mensah took over Uncle John’s Bakery six years ago at the age of 29, with a vision to expand the bakery’s profile. His parents, John and Emelia Mensah, opened the business in 1995, and it soon became a Tottenham institution, bringing Ghanaian bread, cakes and sweet treats to the neighbourhood. ‘It wasn’t something that I wanted to get into because I saw it as my parents’ business, but I stepped in because I saw that they had reached a glass ceiling,’ he said in a recent interview with Time Out. ‘Plus, as I got older, I started to realise the power of legacy and ownership and what it meant, not just for me, but for generations to come, including my daughter. It spurred me on to step up.’
Throughout the pandemic, Uncle John’s Bakery distributed free loaves of bread to NHS workers. Samuel also launched a range of bread boxes, still available to order online for delivery or pick-up.
Mensah also co-founded Dope Black Dads, a podcast and social campaign which focuses on modern Black fatherhood and provides support for Black fathers and families. Prior to taking over Uncle John’s Bakery, he also launched a music career under the name Xploder, appearing on grime tracks like ‘Mission Riddim’ with D Dark, Scrufizzer, Lady Lykez, Roachee, Maxsta and Zeph Ellis.
Tributes have been flooding in for the well-loved business owner, social campaigner and musician. Nigerian restaurant Chuku’s, also based in Tottenham, took to Twitter to say: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Samuel Mensah, Uncle John's Bakery’s CEO. He scaled up his family's business and contributed greatly to the diasporan community and the wider Tottenham community’.
Actor and director Femi Oyeniran said, ‘RIP to Samuel Mensah aka Xploder. Condolences to the family, especially D Dark in this difficult. Known these brothers from secondary school. It was beautiful to see the greatness that he achieved in the business world with Uncle John’s Bakery. Love and light’.
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