The Atlanta rap scene is mourning a massive loss, with the death of Southern music legend Rico Wade.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wade has reportedly died at the age of 52. Wade was the founding member of hip-hop music collective the Dungeon Family and one-third of production trio Organized Noize.
The news was announced in an Instagram post from Killer Mike, who is a longtime Dungeon Family member.
"I don't have the words to express my deep and profound sense of loss. I am Praying for your wife and Children. I am praying for the Wade family. I am praying for us all," Mike wrote. "I deeply appreciate your acceptance into the Dungeon Family, mentorship, Friendship and Brotherhood. Idk where I would be without y'all."
Under Wade's influence, Atlanta rap pioneers broke into the mainstream, including Outkast, Goodie Mob, and Future, who was his cousin. Alongside Organized Noize members Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown, Wade co-produced Outkast's first four albums Southerplayalisticadillacmuzik, ATLiens, Aquemini, and Stankonia, as well as TLC's 1995 Grammy-winning classic "Waterfalls."
In the 2016 documentary The Art of Organized Noize, Wade, Dungeon Family artists, and mainstream acts influenced by them, spoke about the musical group's rise to prominence.
Read more dedications to Wade from fans below.
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