DJ E-Z Rock (pictured right)
DJ E-Z Rock, the hip-hop producer behind chart-topping single “It Takes Two”, has passed away, according to Rolling Stone. He was 46.
The cause of death is not yet known.
Born Rodney “Skip” Bryce, the Harlem native began his career in the mid-1980s, teaming with longtime friend Rob Base. Together, the duo released a series of records over the next decade, though none proved more successful than their 1988 debut, It Takes Two. The album’s title track peaked at No. 3 on the US dance charts and has since been sampled by Snoop Dogg, Gang Starr, and Girl Talk, and featured in countless TV shows and films. The album itself peaked at No. 4 on the R&B charts.
E-Z Rock was not featured on Rob Base’s 1989 record The Incredible Base, but reunited with him in 1994 for Break of Dawn.
Following news of Bryce’s passing, several fellow emcees have taken to Twitter to pay tribute, including Biz Markie, Funkmaster Flex, and Rob Base himself.
