Rob Base, ‘It Takes Two’ Rapper and Hip-Hop Pioneer, Dies at 59

Rob Base, the rapper best known as one-half of the influential hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, has died at 59 following a private battle with cancer.

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Tune in to LL COOL J’s Rock the Bells Radio on satellite channel 43 and the SiriusXM app to hear tributes to Rob and music by hip-hop legends throughout the day.

The rapper — whose real name was Robert Ginyard — died on May 22, just days after celebrating his birthday, surrounded by family. In a statement shared on social media, his family remembered him as a loving father, friend, and artist whose music “helped shape a generation.”

Alongside DJ E-Z Rock, who died in 2014, Rob Base helped bring hip-hop and house music into the mainstream during the late 1980s. Their breakout anthem “It Takes Two” became a global hit and remains one of the most recognizable party tracks in music history.