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Saafir—the Oakland rapper calved Reggie Gibson who released acclaimed albums similar 1994's Boxcar Sessions and appeared successful the 1993 movie Menace II Society—died connected Nov. 19. He was 54.
By Leah Degrazia Nov 19, 2024 10:31 PMTags
In Memoriam: Fallen Stars of 2024
The hip-hop satellite is mourning a tragic loss.
Saafir—an Oakland-based rapper known for his quality successful the 1993 movie Menace II Society and for albums similar 1994's Boxcar Sessions—died connected Nov. 19, according to a connection from his longtime person Xzibit. He was 54.
Saafir—born Reggie Gibson—passed distant astir 8:45 successful the greeting portion surrounded by friends and family, per the "X" rapper.
"We person truthful overmuch past I can’t adjacent explicate what I’m feeling close now," Xzibit wrote successful his connection shared to Instagram Nov. 19. "We surrounded him and fto him cognize however overmuch we loved him. He tin remainder now."
And the Pimp My Ride alum expressed empathy for the wounded Saafir's household indispensable beryllium feeling, saying, "Friends, Family, everyone that rocked with america from the Hip Hop community, if you could beryllium truthful coagulated and scope retired for @chopblack his younger brother, and @lilsaafir his son, the household truly needs to beryllium supported during this time."
"My psyche is crushed," helium added. "We emotion you Bro."
Saafir started making waves successful the aboriginal 1990s for his enactment with the hip-hop crews Hobo Junction and Digital Underground, which helium joined alongside his erstwhile roommate, the precocious Tupac Shakur.
But his vocation truly took disconnected successful 1993 erstwhile helium scored a relation successful the cult classical movie Menace II Society, which besides starred Jada Pinket Smith and Samuel L. Jackson. The pursuing year, helium earned a large grounds woody with the precocious Quincy Jones and achieved captious acclaim with his debut album, Boxcar Sessions.
Photo By Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Saafir went connected to driblet a fistful of follow-up records earlier mostly stepping distant from the nationalist oculus owed to ongoing wellness complications, including a cancerous tumor successful his spinal cord that required aggregate surgeries and near him incapable to walk.
"I had to person the country to get the tumor out," the "Can-U-Feel-Me?" rapper told the San Francisco Bay Guardian successful 2013. "The doc told maine that if I didn’t instrumentality it out, by the clip I was successful my aboriginal 40s I would astir apt beryllium paralyzed. And it’s ironic due to the fact that I did the country and I’m inactive kinda successful that situation."
And though his challenging wellness travel whitethorn person removed himself from the spotlight, Saafir—who released his past album, Gold Blooded, Vol. 3, successful 2020—continued to absorption connected his craft.
"I’m decidedly penning astir my experience, however I’m dealing with it and going done it," helium said. "A batch of radical look astatine my s--t from the ’90s and deliberation I’m going to bash the nonstop aforesaid s--t present and that’s conscionable not reality. I’ve evolved arsenic a person."
Saafir is survived by his son, the rapper known arsenic Lil Saafir, and his brother, the MC known arsenic Chop Black.
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