Rob Base, hip-hop hitmaker behind ‘It Takes Two,’ dies at 59
'Rapper’s voice and legacy helped carry the genre into the mainstream'
🖊️ Kenya Vaughn | The St. Louis American
📸 Photo from Facebook
Harlem-born rapper Rob Base could ride a beat. His voice, style and delivery were so distinctive that he helped usher hip-hop into the mainstream. His breakout smash “It Takes Two” remains one of the most enduring party records in music history. It’s the kind of song that still pulls people to the dance floor before the first bar fully drops.
Base — one half of the duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock — died Friday, May 22 after a private battle with cancer. He was 59.
His death came just three days after celebrating his birthday. He passed surrounded by family, according to a statement shared on his official social media accounts...
For many, that soundtrack begins with the opening “hit it,” of “It Takes Two.” Released in 1988 with his childhood friend and DJ partner E-Z Rock, the song shifted the culture. Built around the Lyn Collins “Think (About It)” break, the track became a universal call to the dance floor.
It became a cross-generational staple — the kind of record that still pulls people to the floor nearly four decades later.
#RobBass #HipHopLegend #RestInPiece #stlamerican https://t.co/A3KyTxACJY
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