Drew Feinerman April 30th, 2020 - 12:44 PM
Old school rapper, producer, and former EPMD dancer Steve Williams, better known by his stage name Stezo, has passed away today, April 30th, his producer Chris Lowe confirmed on Twitter, according to Brooklyn Vegan. His cause of death is not yet known. Stezo was 51 years old at the time of his death.
Several of hip hop’s pioneers and influential figures, including Questlove of The Roots, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Stretch Armstrong, EL-P of Run The Jewels, DJ Green Lantern, and more have taken to social media to celebrate the life and legacy of Stezo in the hip hop community. Questlove wrote about the artist, “Before Hammer’s pants, there was #Stezo…before we all abused that #SkullSnaps #ItsANewDay break…there was Stezo. Before #AtomicDog fed an ENTIRE GENRE….there was Stezo. While your favorite rapper was asking so & so & such & such to do some beats for em….Stezo was doing it all himself.”
Stezo was one of the first hip hop artists to take part in both the rapping and production aspects of his music, releasing his self-produced album Crazy Noise in 1989. Stezo was known for his percise rapping over his funky-based beats. You can check out more tributes posted on social media by hip hop figures below:
Rest In Peace to Stezo. His song “it’s my turn”used to be my jam. When it was cool to dance at parties
— GuiltySimpson (@guiltysimpson) April 30, 2020
Rest In Peace STEZO !!! Another brother gone from the era I love the most. HipHop, rhymes, dancing, classic beats. It’s my Turn, To the Max, freak the funk…. Like EPMD said on Steve Martin “sick um champ!! .. Get um Steve, Get um Steve Get um !! RIP
— R.A. the Rugged Man (@RAtheRuggedMan) April 30, 2020
Something extra sticky about Stezo’s rhymes. He oozed the funk—unhurried, downright syrupy—forcing his lyrics deep into your cranium.
‘Slow down, and yo, let the rhyme flow…’
Influenced by EPMD and guided by Paul C’s megatronic beats, Stezo released two classic 12s in 1989. pic.twitter.com/HsauVMVz4f
— Jonathan Shecter (@SheckyGreen) April 30, 2020
R.I.P. STEZO
You Made Sure That “THERES NO WAY THAT THE CROWD COULD SIT DOWN”…
Condolences To Your Family🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/OjDMqocEhq— DJ Premier (@REALDJPREMIER) April 30, 2020
