Atlanta Rap Legend Rico Wade Dies Aged 52

Atlanta rap music legend Rico Wade, who helped influence the Dungeon Family, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Future and many more artists, has reportedly tragically died at the age of 52. This news is being reported by multiple outlets.

Wade was one-third of the successful Atlanta-based production team of Organized Noize.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has issued the following statement announcing the death of the rap music icon,

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Rico Wade. Rico was a musical genius and one third of the Grammy Award-winning music production team Organized Noize. A product of Atlanta Public Schools, he led in the creation of a hip-hop sound that has spanned decades and genres. Without Rico Wade, the world may have never experienced The Dungeon Family, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Future and many more. Rico left an indelible mark on music and culture around the world and for that, the South will always have something to say.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens

Rolling Stone reports on his tragic death,

Rico Wade, a member of the pioneering Atlanta production team Organized Noize that served as the auditory architects for the Dungeon Family collective — artists like OutKast, Goodie Mob, Killer Mike and many more — and helped craft Southern hip-hop’s sound, has died at the age of 52.

A representative for Wade confirmed his death to AllHipHop; no cause of death was provided at press time.

Killer Mike, the Run the Jewels rapper who got his start with the Dungeon Family, paid tribute to Wade on social media, “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.”

Rolling Stone

To lose such an influential musical genius at such a young age is truly a tragedy. We pray for Wade’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.