{"id":1950275,"date":"2026-05-22T22:50:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T19:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1950275"},"modified":"2026-05-22T22:50:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T19:50:29","slug":"it-takes-two-rapper-rob-base-dead-at-59","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1950275","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It Takes Two\u2019 Rapper Rob Base Dead at 59"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tRob Base died on Friday (May 22) just days after turning 59 years old. The \u201cIt Takes Two\u201d rapper\u2019s family announced on his Instagram account that the Harlem native, who made up one-half of the duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, died following a private battle with cancer.<\/p>\n

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See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cToday, we share the heartbreaking news that hip hop legend Rob Base passed away peacefully on May 22, 2026, surrounded by family after a private battle with cancer,\u201d the statement began.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tSiriusXM’s ‘Billboard Top 500 Summer Hits Countdown Channel’ Returns\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe rapper\u2019s family continued: \u201cRob\u2019s music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world. Beyond the stage, he was a loving father, family man, friend, and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten. Thank you for the music, the memories, and the moments that became the soundtrack to our lives. Rest in Paradise, Rob Base. May 18, 1967 \u2013 May 22, 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tChildhood friends Rob Base (born Robert Ginyard) and DJ E-Z Rock rose to prominence in the late 1980s, and the duo\u2019s breakout came in 1988 with \u201cIt Takes Two\u201d via Profile Records, which hit the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 36 and spending 16 weeks on the chart. The crossover hit is certified platinum by the RIAA.<\/p>\n

\n\tBlack Eyed Peas sampled \u201cIt Takes Two\u201d for their top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit \u201cRock That Boy,\u201d and the single was also played in plenty of movies like Love & Basketball,<\/em>The Proposal<\/em>, Iron Man 2<\/em>, The Disaster Artist<\/em>, Hey Arnold! The Movie<\/em> and was part of a radio station in 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt Takes Two\u201d was followed up by The Jacksons-sampling \u201cGet on the Dance Floor,\u201d which topped Billboard<\/em>\u2018s Dance Club Songs chart. Rob and E-Z Rock returned to the Hot 100 for a second and final time with \u201cJoy and Pain,\u201d which peaked at No. 58 in July 1989.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Harlem duo released a pair of albums together with 1988\u2019s It Takes Two<\/em> (No. 31 Billboard 200 peak, No. 4 Top R&B\/Hip-Hop Albums peak), and Break of Dawn<\/em> in 1994. Base dropped one solo album in his career, which came in 1989 with The Incredible Base<\/em> (No. 50 Billboard 200 peak, No. 20 Top R&B\/Hip-Hop Albums peak).<\/p>\n

\n\tDJ E-Z Rock (born Rodney Bryce) died in 2014 due to complications related to diabetes, while Base continued their musical legacy in the years since, as he performed as part of the I Love the 90\u2019s Tour with Vanilla Ice and other acts.<\/p>\n

\n\tBase even extended his reach into Hollywood, where he executive produced the horror movie Urban Flesh Eaters<\/em> in 2025. <\/p>\n

\n\tRob Base\u2019s final public statement came earlier this week when celebrating his 59th birthday with a post to Instagram on May 18. \u201cHappy 59th Birthday to me. God thank you for allowing me to see another year,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/rb-hip-hop\/rob-base-death-it-takes-two-rapper-1236255578\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1487880646-e1779487204521.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard Rob Base died on Friday (May 22) just days after turning 59 years old. The \u201cIt Takes Two\u201d rapper\u2019s family announced on his Instagram account that the Harlem native, who made up one-half of the duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, died following a private battle with cancer. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-1950275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1950275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1950275\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1950275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1950275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1950275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}