Respected rapper Sean Price died last Saturday morning at his home in Brooklyn; he was 43. The cause of death remains unknown, but it is thought the rapper died in his sleep.
Price first emerged on the rap scene in the mid-90’s. Using the moniker Ruck, he and Jahmal Bush (AKA Rock) formed Heltah Skeltah. They released three LPs: Nocturnal, Magnum Force and most recently D.I.R.T. Over the last decade, Price had increasingly focused his attention on his own work, releasing three solo albums: Monkey Barz, Jesus Price Supastar and Mic Tyson. He was well known for his belligerent yet clever lyrics, and was held in high esteem within the hip-hop community.
Since reports of the death broke, Billboard notes there’s been a flood of tributes to the artist from hip-hop stars on social media. Friend and producer Just Blaze said of Price:
You know a lot of rappers have fake charisma? Where they can turn it on when the cameras are on, but that’s not really them? He was just the same dude all the time.
Price’s latest LP Songs in the Key of Price is due for release on August 21st.
Listen to the song BBQ Sauce from Price’s 2012 solo album Mic Tyson: