It’s been a difficult week for New York hip-hop. On Saturday, entertainment manager Kal Dawson confirmed that Black Rob passed away at just 52 years old.
TMZ also confirmed the news, adding that the rapper passed away in a hospital in Atlanta after a reported battle with kidney failure.
Mark Curry—rapper and collaborator of Rob and Diddy’s—also shared the news. “I don’t know where to begin this, but I thank everybody for the donations,” Curry said in a video between tears. “Rob passed away about an hour ago.” He then asked Rob’s children to get in touch with him.
Diddy’s former bodyguard later took to YouTube to comment on what Curry said happened with Rob at the hospital.
Fans learned that Rob was dealing with health issues last week when the rapper shared his condolences about the passing of DMX. “I feel everything about X,” he said in an Instagram video that Dawson posted. “X was positive. Love to X.”
Earlier this week, Curry confirmed that Rob is on dialysis. A recent video from Baller Alert also shows Rob talking about his condition. “Oh man, I’ve been dealing with this for five years. Four strokes … I don’t know what to tell you man. Shit is crazy. The shit is hard,” Rob said. “I don’t got no house to live in—except maybe an apartment. Me and my man be trying to get together. I’m telling you man, this shit is strange. It’s hard, you know what I’m saying?”
It appears that at some point, Diddy got in touch with Rob to see how he can help. A GoFundMe campaign was also set up to help Rob “find a home, pay for medical help & stability during these trying times,” according to the description.
The Bad Boy Records rapper was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in East Harlem. Rob was widely known for his 2000 hit single “Whoa!” from his debut album Life Story released via Bad Boy and Arista. The song later peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.
RIP Black Rob.
