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Rob Base, the hip hop legend who was one half of duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, died on Friday (May 22) after a private battle with cancer.
"Rob's music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world," a statement on the musician's Instagram page read. "Beyond the stage, he was a loving father, family man, friend, and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten."
E-Z Rock (born Rodney Bryce) died in 2014 from complications of diabetes. At the time, Base (born Robert Ginyard) opened up about their friendship dating back to when they were children.
"I had moved and I didn't have any friends around the way," he told XXL. "So when I went to school, him and me sat at the back of the class and we just clicked from there."
The two would go on to release the huge 1987 hit "It Takes Two. "We were just happy that it was a song that the people in the Bronx and Harlem knew," he told XXL. "We didn't think it would cross over the way that it did."
In recent years, Base had been performing across the United States as a part of the "I Love the '90s Tour," which also featured Vanilla Ice, All-4-One, Tone-Loc and Color Me Badd.