Robert Ross, the rapper known as Black Rob, whose husky, seen-it-all voice-driven twist of the millennium hits like “Whoa!” and ‘Can I Live’ for Bad Boy Records, died Saturday at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He was 52.
The cause was cardiac arrest, said Mark Curry, a friend and one-time Bad Boy artist. Ross has had numerous health problems over the past few years, including diabetes, lupus, kidney failure, and multiple strokes.
Mr. Ross underwent dialysis and was discharged from Piedmont Atlanta Hospital this month, Mr. Curry said. In a video posted online and spread across the hip-hop world, Mr. Ross outlined his ailments and recent struggles with homelessness.
“He did not have a house, but he always had us,” he said. Curry said, which Mr. Ross called “a true poet.” He added: ‘He is known for telling stories and his music described his life. You can feel it. ”
Last week, Mr. Curry joins producer Mike Zombie to launch a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Mr. Collecting Ross – ‘to help him find a home, pay for medical assistance and stability during these difficult times’, the campaign describes. said. The fundraiser raised about half of its $ 50,000 goal.
Mr. Ross, who was born in Harlem, NY, started raping around the age of 11, influenced by local artists such as Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh, who he attributed to the development of his storytelling. He also internalized the essence of his musically emerging neighborhood, referring to the ‘pick-me-up kinda sound’.
“It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a little fragrant, I can dance to it’ – you’re going to talk about a little money, a little drug,” he said. Ross said in a 2013 interview. “We were the most flashy.”
The Best Ross is best known for the striking 2000 single “Whoa!” Which reached number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100, and a series of electric gas verses on songs from Mase, 112 and Total. even as a young man.
The rapper played a more important role in March 1997 after the murder of his Bad Boy partner, the Notorious BIG. , by the end of the nineties.
Mr. Ross’ debut album, titled “Life Story”, was released in 2000 by Bad Boy when he was 31. He has spent more than a decade of his life in and out of juvenile detention, jail and jail. and the music reflected it.
“It’s hell,” the rapper said during his past. “Once they get your teeth, they keep biting until they feel, ‘Let’s throw away this cat’s key.’
“Life Story” contains intricate street stories about qualifiers, shootouts and the family battle that can lead to such things, and it reaches number 3 on the Billboard album chart and eventually becomes platinum.
Five years later, “The Black Rob Report”, the rapper’s second album, could not achieve the same success, in part because Mr. Ross was in jail again after failing to provoke a 2004 charge in connection with the case. His career never recovered.
“Bad Boy left me for dead,” he said. Ross said when he was released from prison in 2010. Two subsequent independent releases on different labels were established.
Mr. Ross is survived by his mother, Cynthia; four brothers and sisters; nine children; and five grandchildren.
Many people on social media sympathize with Mr. Ross shows, including Diddy, entrepreneur Daymond John and rappers Missy Elliott, LL Cool J, GZA and Styles P.
On Twitter, LL Cool J het mnr. Ross described as a storyteller, gentleman and an MC
Elliott regrets that the death of Mr. Ross has now followed in the footsteps of another New York rapper, Earl Simmons, known as DMX, who passed away this month.
“It’s hard to find the words to say when someone dies,” Me. Elliott said on Twitter. “I pray for both families for healing.”