According to Pitchfork and TMZ, Attrell Cordes, better known as Prince Be of hip hop group P.M. Dawn, has passed away at the age of 46.
TMZ reported that the artist died in his New Jersey home from kidney disease. P.M. Dawn member and Cordes’ cousin Doc. G has written a Facebook post on the situation, stating that Cordes had been suffering from complications that rooted back to his diabetes.
Prince Be grew up surrounded by music. He was raised by his mother and stepfather George Brown, who was a founding member of Kool & the Gang. His exposure to the music industry influenced him to begin DJing in high school at local parties. This is when he began composing songs and creating demo tapes. He saved up money as a teenager to record music with his brother Jarrett – who went by the stage name DJ Minutemix – and together created P.M. Dawn. The duo initially struggled to find success when record labels compared them to De La Soul or told the boys they weren’t “hardcore” enough to compete with gangster rap groups on the scene, such as N.W.A. However, their trip hop and R&B sound found a place across the pond in Great Brittain, and the group was signed to Gee Street Records. The label went bankrupt and the duo was picked up by Island Records. They found success in 1991 with debut album Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience, which featured soulful vocals and stream-of-consciousness raps by Prince Be. The debut album brought us the hit single “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss.”
The band’s Facebook page contains a post from Doc G.
Prince Be Rest In Peace Forever More/ Pain from diabetes can’t harm you anymore/ My Heart is at Peace B-Cuz U suffered so long/ Tell Grandma I said Hi & Stay Blisstatic & Strong.
Prince Be is survived by his wife Mary and three children.
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