The Fat Boys Prince Markie Dee Dead at 52
The Fat Boys Prince Markie Dee Dead at 52 They were figuratively (no weight jokes) the biggest act in hip hop at some point in time, wrote Questlove. Like the first act that showed this culture might have some real international legs to it
Althea Legaspi, provided by
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Prince Markie Dee, a member of the pioneering hip-hop group the Fat Boys, died on Thursday, the group’s manager, Louis Gregory confirmed. He was 52. No cause of death has been given.
“Forever in my Heart. Prince Markie Dee was more than a rapper; he was one of my very best and closest friends,” Gregory wrote on Twitter. “My heart breaks today because I lost a brother. I’ll always love you Mark and I’ll cherish everything you taught me. Tomorrow is your birthday, swing my way big bro.”
By 1987, the Fat Boys had already experienced an impressive measure of success and notoriety, helping to develop and shape hip-hop’s early years on wax. Their first two albums, 1984’s self-titled debut and 1985’s
The Fat Boys Are Back, were produced by rap legend Kurtis Blow and were certified Gold on the back of hits like “Can You Feel It?,” “Jail House Rap,” and “The Fat Boys Are Back.” Often sharing the stage with pioneering contemporaries like Run-D.M.C. and Whodini, the trio was a major part of hip-hop’s early mass-marketed concerts and tours, most notably “Fresh Festival ’84” and 1985’s “Fresh Fest II.” Robinson, Wimbley and Morales appeared in two 1985 films,