DJ E-Z Rock has passed away, aged 46 | R.I.P.

Hip-hop artist DJ E-Z Rock has passed away, aged 46. The rapper, real name Rodney Bryce, died on Sunday. No further details have been released. E-Z Rock performed as part of a duo with his longtime collaborator and friend Rob Base. Base shared the sad news on his Facebook page, writing, "R.I.P Skip (DJ EZ Rock) friends since 4th grade I'm really going to miss you." The pair first stormed the music scene in 1988 with their iconic track It Takes Two, which went multi-platinum in the U.S., and has been sampled by a number of top stars, including Snoop Dogg and Ciara.

source

CHECK OUT THROWBACKS SECTION

We are sorry to report that according to sources including Rob Base, DJ E-Z Rock has passed away. Not much is known about the circumstances surrounding the death of one of Hip Hop’s Golden Era pioneers. What we do know is that DJ E-Z Rock left us music that will last a more than a life time. E-Z Rock and Rob Base has been the best of friends since childhood and put out their first single “DJ Interview” which led to them signing a recording contract with Profile Records in 1987. “It Takes Two” was a sample laden single that was beloved by pretty much anyone with a pair of eardrums.

The song took a totally different approach to how Hip Hop was heard and found commercial success not just on the rap charts but also on regular pop radio as well which was nearly impossible to accomplish at the time. A follow up to the multi-platinum “It Takes Two” entitled “Joy and Pain,” was released and it too was a fan favorite. “Joy And Pain” was also a chart darling and found it’s way to the Top 10 on dance charts as well as making it to #38 on the Hot 100. (Again both very hard to do in the name of Hip Hop at the time.) “It Takes Two” the album would eventually go 7x platinum.

They literally were one of the first groups to crossover…and yet they were never considered sellouts for it. At the time Hip Hop artists that crossed over to pop were often times ridiculed but that was never the case with E-Z Rock and Rob Base. Folks understood why their music was popular…it simply couldn’t be denied. You had to get up and dance as soon as one of their tracks hit the radio speakers.

E-Z Rock and Rob Base created tracks that made it possible for a new generation to listen to their parents music…but just in another way which kept it all of their own. They had mothers and fathers around the world rushing in to bedrooms to school their children on the original versions of songs. And thus creating music that the whole family could discuss. source

#djezrock #death #rip