Rodney "Skip"
Bryce, better known to the public as DJ E-Z Rock, has died at age 46. Bryce's
death was announced in a Facebook post by longtime songwriting partner Rob
Base. "R.I.P Skip (DJ EZ Rock)," wrote Base, noting that the two had
been
friends since 4th grade.
friends since 4th grade.
DJ E-Z
Rock was best known for "It Takes Two,"
his joyous 1988 collaboration with Rob Base. Based upon samples from James
Brown and Lyn Collins' 1972 single "Think (About It)," the single
peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it climbed to No. 4 on Billboard's
R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Their first
single for Profile Records, it was eventually certified multi-platinum.
Along the way, it became
one of the most iconic songs in the dance music canon, and their sampling of
Brown's iconic yelps ("Woo! Yeah!") passed into the bloodstream of
house and hip-hop alike. "It Takes Two" has been sampled in songs by
LL Cool J, Will Smith, Girl Talk, 2 Live Crew, Meek Mill, Spank Rock and Benny
Blanco, Ciara, Jurassic Five, Pop Will Eat Itself, Coolio, the Black Eyed Peas,
Skepta, Girls' Generation, and dozens more.
After
R.A. the Rugged Man shared Base's
post on Twitter, a number of hip-hop greatsexpressed
their grief over the loss of Bryce. According to Rolling Stone,
a representative for Rob Base has confirmed Bryce's death, although no further
details were made available.
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