Rapper Black Rob has died at 51, celebrities react
Rob dealt with high blood pressure and suffered a stroke
Black Rob, former Bad Boy Records artist known for his 2000 hit “Whoa!” has passed away after a recent hospitalization. He was 51-years-old.
theGrio recently reported that fans were alarmed by the New York native’s appearance after he was seen on video in a hospital bed. The video, which was recorded by Power 105.1’s DJ Self, was made so that Rob could give his condolences to rapper DMX, who died on April 9.
“I feel everything about X man. X was positive. Love to X,” he said briefly in the Instagram video.
In another video shared by DJ Self, Black Rob – born Robert Ross – opened up about his health battles and homelessness.
“I’ve been dealing with this for five years. Damn. Four strokes, I don’t know what to tell you. This sh– is crazy, this sh– is hard. I don’t have no house to live in,” he said in the video. “I need some rest man.”
Read More: A public memorial for DMX to take place at Barclays Center
In a 2015 interview with Sway Calloway on “Sway In The Morning,” Rob revealed that he dealt with high blood pressure and suffered a stroke.
Mark Curry, former Bad Boy recording artist, tearfully confirmed the news and asked for the rapper’s children to reach out to him.
“Rob passed away about an hour ago,” he said.
On Monday, Curry called on rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs — who founded Bad Boy records — to reach out and help.
“Puffy, we need your help and you are reaching out,” he said in the video.
A GoFundMe campaign was launched by Mike Zombie in an effort to help “him find a home, pay for medical help & stability during these trying times. We’ve lost a lot legends and we can’t afford to lose anymore. This is my way to try and help.”
The campaign raised more than $27k out of the $50k goal.
Read More: Fans alarmed as Black Rob pays tribute to DMX from hospital bed
Celebrities and fans took to Twitter to pay tribute to the rapper including lawyer Exavier Pope who shared Black Rob’s verse in Diddy’s 2001 video for “Bad Boy For Life,” tweeting, “Black Rob gone. Rest In Power brother. Hip Hop with another gone too soon.”
Hip-Hop icon Chuck D of Public Enemy reacted by saying, “Damn….Black Rob today. #RestInBeats.”
Rapper and producer Pete Rock reacted to all the losses in Hip Hop, tweeting, “All this death in hip hop really SUCKS!!! R.I.P. DMX & Black Rob! I cant believe i just said that. Just don’t sound right. no time to grieve 1 death anymore X just died last week and BR dies today.”
Karlie Hustle tweeted, “Black Rob deserved better from this world. I pray his suffering has come to an end. I am glad he was able to speak and be seen prior to his passing. His visibility and his condition should be a reminder to appreciate health and not leave the sick and aging behind. Godspeed, sir.”
theGrio’s Tonya Pendleton contributed to this report.
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