Rob Base, best known for classic hip-hop tracks “It Takes Two” and “Joy and Pain”, has passed away in a private battle with cancer. The rapper, born in Harlem, celebrated his 59th birthday on May 18.
The news was shared by Base’s family on Instagram on Friday.
Creating an iconic hip-hop duo with the late DJ E-Z Rock (Rodney “Skip” Bryce), Rob Base – born Robert Ginyard – brought hip-hop to greater mainstream attention with the 1988 with “It Takes Two.” After moving from The Bronx to Harlem, Base became friends with classmate E-Z Rock in the fourth grade.
After performing in talent shows and open mics, the two were inspired to form a duo following an album release by Crash Crew, a local Harlem group, telling Rolling Stone in 2014, “We used to watch them and looked up to them. We said to ourselves, ‘This is something that we want to do.’ Seven of us put together a group; a lot of them didn’t take it seriously, but me and him did.” Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock would pair up on turntables and a microphone for their first single “DJ Interview” in 1986.
But it was the debut album from the duo of Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock It Takes Two (Profile Records), that would launch them to nationwide fame with the hip-hop/house mix that boosted the profile of rap into suburban households. The lead single, “It Takes Two,” utilized a sample from Lyn Collins to adorn the track, which would reach #3 on the US Dance charts, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1989. “It Takes Two” has been sampled by artists including Snoop Dogg and Girl Talk, and was included in Questlove’s Top 50 Hip Hop Songs of All Time at #15.
Base spoke to about the surprise when “It Takes Two” became a hit. “We didn’t think that it would cross over and be as big as it became. We thought it would be what was called back then a “Tri-state area’ song.”
Two other singles – “Joy and Pain” and “Get on the dance Floor” both found high charting as well (#9 and #1 on US Dance charts, respectively), but “It Takes Two” defined the duo as a stand out hip-hop and mainstream classic.
Base would release a solo album, The Incredible Base in November 1989, and later reunited with E-Z Rock for Break of Dawn in 1994, their final album together.
Base most recently was performing on the I Love the 90’s Tour, alongside Young MC, All-4-One, Kid n’ Play, Tone Lōc and others.
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