April Has Been A Devastating Month For Hip-Hop Shock G, Black Rob, and DMX What's Next?

April 2021 has been the most devastating month in Hip-Hop’s history, suffering losses of pioneers and legends alike.  On April 9, 2021, Grammy-nominated rapper and actor Earl DMX Simmons died at  White Plains Hospital in New York after suffering cardiac arrest due to a drug overdose he was 50. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album It's Dark, and Hell Is Hot in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. DMX released his best-selling album, ... And Then There Was X, in 1999, which included the hit single "Party Up (Up in Here)" His 2003 singles "Where the Hood At?" and "X Gon' Give It to Ya" were also commercially successful. He was the first artist to debut an album at No. 1 five times in a row on the Billboard 200 charts. Overall, DMX has sold over 74 million records worldwide.

Hollywood featured DMX in movies such as  Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave, and Last Hour. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man, which primarily aired on the BET cable television network. In 2003, he published a book of his memoirs entitled E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX. A public memorial service for DMX will occur at Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday, April 24, at 4 p.m. ET. The following day, a private service will be at a New York City church at 2:30 pm ET. The public will be allowed to view via BET live stream. 

While the Hip-Hop community and its fan barely began mourning the loss of DMX, Black Rob 52, another famous rapper, would succumb to a cardiac arrest on April 17th. Born Robert Ross in Buffalo, New York, Black Rob raised in East Harlem, where he began rapping as a pre-teen, idolizing rap legends like Spoonie G, Doug E. Fresh, and Slick Rick. In the late 1990’s he would sign a recording deal with Sean Puffy Combs Bad Boy Records and record two full-length albums, including Life Story and  The Black Rob Report. He was best known for his infectious hit “Whoa,” which peaked at number 43 on Billboard hot 100.

April 22, 2021, Digital Underground frontman and co-founder Gregory Shock G Jacobs was found dead in a Tampa, Florida, hotel room, according to his father, Edward Racker TMZ.com reported. Best known as a pioneer in Westcoast Hip-Hop and The Humpty Dance alter ego Humpty Hump. Shock G was initially born on the Eastcoast and later transplanted to Oakland, CA, in the mid-’80s. Eventually, Shock G formed digital Underground andChopmaster J, and the late Kenneth Waters (a.k.a. Kenny-K). The group would go on to musical success, Money B. and then up and coming rapper Tupac Shakur. Shock G would play a pivotal role in introducing the world to Hip-Hop legend Tupac Shakur. At this time cause of death is unclear. He was 57.

Editor-In-Chief

Peter Ross