- Malik Abdul Basit, popularly known as Malik B., passed away Thursday at the age of 47.
- Basit was a founding member of The Roots, a legendary hip-hop group from Philadelphia.
- “May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam and innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time,” stated The Roots’ Twitter account.
- A cause of death was not released.
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Malik Abdul Basit, the rapper best known for his work with legendary hip-hop group The Roots, died Thursday at the age of 47.
Basit, a Philadelphia native best known as Malik B, appeared on The Roots’ first four albums, before leaving the group in 1999. He released two albums as a solo artist.
“We regretfully inform you of the passing of our beloved brother and long time Roots member Malik Abdul Basit,” The Roots posted on Twitter. “May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam and innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time.”
“We made a name and carved a lane together,” fellow Roots MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter posted in a tribute on Instagram. “We resurrected a city from the ashes, put it on our backs and called it Illadelph.”
“The world just lost a real one,” he added.
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