LOS ANGELES (AP) – Mr. C, one of hip-hop’s premier DJs and a New York City radio personality who contributed to Notorious BIG’s debut album, has died. He was 57 years old.
The legendary disc jockey’s death was confirmed Wednesday by Skip Dillard, brand manager for 94.7 The Block NYC, where Cee had a show. The cause of death has not been announced.
“We have lost one of the most important figures in the industry,” said 94.7 The Block Social media post.
Mr. C was an important player in the rap community. He was previously the DJ for Big Daddy Kane and the executive producer of Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 debut, “Ready to Die.”
The New York native was also a radio personality on his hometown’s Hot 97. But he briefly quit his gig in 2013 after he was arrested for soliciting prostitutes. An audio of the clash surfaced online.
After this last incident, Mr C denied trying to have sex with a man, and said he was approached by an undercover female police officer. He also denied being gay.
But Mr. C soon returned for an interview on Hot 97 with Ebro Darden and in a tearful interview admitted to confronting homosexuals with prostitutes. However, he also stated that he does not consider himself gay or bisexual.
During the interview, Mr. C expressed concern about whether his admission might hurt him: “Will I still be seen the same way?”
But Mr. C got it. Some support from within hip-hop – which was surprising at the time, given that Community was often labeled as homophobic due to anti-gay lyrics by its major stars.
“Whatever Mr. C does with his personal life, more power to him,” said Ahmir “Quest Love” Thompson, leader of The Roots, in a 2013 interview. “He shouldn’t be ashamed of it. We have to grow up eventually.”
Mr. C eventually decided not to quit his job at Hot 97 and go into treatment after Darden convinced him to stay. During this time, he collaborated with the AIDS Health Foundation for the “New Sexual Revolution” campaign where he encouraged others to talk about their sexuality and use protection.
But Mr C’s return to the station was short-lived. He left in 2014.
Over the years, Mr. C maintained his respectability in the rap industry and continued to work on other radio programs, spinning throwback tracks on his show on 94.7 The Block before his death.
“I’m very happy to know him,” Dillard said social media.
Credit : apnews.com
