Hip hop pioneer of 'It Takes Two' fame Dj E-Z Rock passed away on Sunday
Hip hop artist Rodney Bryce, who was most famous under the name Dj E-Z Rock, passed away this Sunday at aged 46. The rapper’s death was confirmed by his friend and collaborator Rob Base, the pair had found fame together in 1988 with the track ‘It Takes Two’.
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock’s first single together was 1987’s ‘DJ Interview’ which eventually landed them a recording deal with Profile records. Their next release ‘It Takes Two’ would become an iconic single due to its blend of hip hop and house music, it would peak at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Songs.
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The track has since been sampled by many artists including Snoop Dogg, Black Eyed Peas and Ciara and has been used on a variety of soundtracks including Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and for Sandra Bullock’s romantic comedy The Proposal. The duo continued their success with the It Takes Two album that included single 'Get on the Dance Floor' which topped the Billboard Dance chart. A year later, Rob Base would go out on his own for the follow up album to It Takes Two, The incredible Base in 1989. However five years later the duo reunited for album Break of Dawn. Unfortunately Break of Dawn wouldn’t be able to recapture the duo’s previous success and it failed to chart in the US. It would end up being the pair’s last album together.
Watch the video for It Takes Two:
Bryce will be forever remembered for ‘It Takes Two’ and its accompanying video, which helped push hip hop further into the mainstream. The single’s influence can be still felt today with Rolling Stone naming number 24 on their 50 Greatest Hip Hop songs of all time list. News of his death has hit the hip hop world hard as artists such as Biz Markie, DJ Red Alert and DJ Scratch have all taken to social media to give their condolences. Bryce's cause of death has not yet been revealed, but his longtime collaborator Rob Base has paid tribute on Facebook writing, “R.I.P Skip (DJ EZ Rock), friends since the 4th grade, Im really going to miss you.”
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