The Arizona hip hop group Injury Reserve has lost one of its core three members, Jordan Groggs, known by his stage name Stepa J. Groggs, who passed away at the age of 32 on Monday, June 29. His passing was announced by the group on social media last night, while GoFundMe has been made to help support his family. A cause of death has not yet been announced.
“REST IN POWER Jordan Alexander Groggs a loving father, life partner, and friend. Groggs’s heart has touched everyone he has came across,” the GoFundMe page reads. “He will live on through his family, supporters, and the communities he was apart of. Jordan Alexander Groggs is survived by Anna and their four children Joey, Jayden, Toph, and Ari.”
Injury Reserve began in 2013, emerging as one of the few acts in their local Tempe, Arizona scene, before gaining prominence by performing alongside various punk and indie rock acts around the Arizona State University campus. Groggs first met fellow member Nathaniel Ritchie, who would become Ritchie With a T, while working at a Vans store owned by Ritchie’s mother. They eventually met producer Parker Corey, who would go on to round out the trio as the group’s producer.
The band’s style began as a mix of alternative hip hop and jazz rap, before venturing into a more experimental sonic territory with their later work. Their first two mixtapes Live from the Dentist Office and Floss were actually recorded in dentist office, owned by the grandfather of Corey. The group’s self-titled debut album was released last year and held features from JPEGMafia, Freddie Gibbs, Amine, A-Trak and DRAM.
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