Rapper, singer and one of The Roots founders Malik Abdul Basit, better known as Malik B., has passed away at the age of 47 according to an announcement made on the group’s Instagram. A cause of death has not been announced as of press time.
“It is with heavy hearts and tearful eyes that we regretfully inform you of the passing of our beloved brother and long time Roots member Malik Abdul Basit,” the group wrote. “May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam, His loving brotherhood and his innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time. We ask that you please respect his family and extended family in our time of mourning such a great loss.”
Basit appeared on The Roots’ first four studio albums and departed soon after the release of their breakout project Things Fall Apart. This project was considered a landmark work for alternative hip hop, charting at number 4 in the Billboard 200.
Despite Basit’s departure, The Roots member Black Thought dedicated the song “Water” in his honor on the group’s following album Phrenology. He would also continue to have guest appearances on the band’s future albums, contributing to three tracks on their 2006 release Game Theory and two tracks on Rising Down.
Black Thought premiered three new songs “Thought Vs. Everybody,” “Yellow” and “Nature of The Beast” back in February for NPR’s Tiny Desk. The rapper is also preparing to release new EP this year titled Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel, which hosts guest features from Killer Mike, Pusha T and Portugal. The Man.
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