Rodney Bryce, who made his mark on hip-hop under the name DJ E-Z Rock, died Sunday, a spokesperson for Bryce’s friend and collaborator Rob Base confirmed to Rolling Stone.
Rolling Stone reports:
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock released their first single, “DJ Interview,” in 1986, but the 46-year-old Bryce cemented himself into the hip-hop canon with 1988’s iconic track “It Takes Two.” Produced by Teddy Riley and built around a vocal sample from Lyn Collins’ 1972 hit “Think (About It),” the song blended hip-hop with house music and became a nationwide hit, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Songs chart and helping to lift rap into the pop consciousness. The track would later be sampled by Snoop Dogg, Gang Starr, Girl Talk and South Korean girl group 2NE1, among many others, and has long become a pop culture staple, appearing in everything from the soundtrack to the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to a scene in Sandra Bullock’s 2009 romantic comedy The Proposal.
The cause of death has yet to be revealed.
RIP to the legendary DJ.
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(Photo Source: Rolling Stone)
