Bad Boy Records Rapper Black Rob Dead at 51

Rapper Black Rob, who was previously on Sean Combs' label Bad Boy Records, has died one week after a video surfaced of him in the hospital.

By Kaitlin Reilly Apr 18, 2021 2:13 PMTags
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Black Rob has died. He was 51.

On April 17 the rapper, whose real name was Robert Ross, died after being hospitalized in Atlanta, according to multiple outlets, including TMZ and Variety. Radio host DJ Self took to Instagram to announce the "Whoa" artist's passing, one week after Self shared a video of Rob in a hospital bed, where he was on dialysis after suffering multiple strokes.

"Let [sic] keep our prayers up Black Rob," Self wrote in the caption of the video. "Get well man Please people out there take care of yourself BR was one of the greats Had NY on his back like Whaooo." 

In the clip, an exhausted Rob sent love to hip hop icon DMX, who died earlier this month following a heart attack.  

Rob, whose 1999 debut album Life Story went platinum, was previously signed to Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records. 

Fans on Twitter paid tribute to the late artist. 

"RIP Black Rob, one of the great millennium-era crime rap novelists, gruff but with Harlem slickness, who endured fire & brimstone to briefly reach the apex, before gravity and the law took hold," tweeted Otto Von Biz Markie. "Of course, 'Whoa,' which owned the world for a full year, the platonic tunnel banger."

Pete Rock shared, "All this death in hip hop really SUCKS!!! R.I.P. DMX & Black Rob! I cant believe i just said that. Just dont sound right. no time to grieve 1 death anymore X just died last week and BR dies today."

Karlie Hustle added, "Black Rob deserved better from this world. I pray his suffering has come to an end. I am glad he was able to speak and be seen prior to his passing. His visibility and his condition should be a reminder to appreciate health and not leave the sick and aging behind. Godspeed, sir."

In 2015, Rob suffered a stroke. At the time, he told SiriusXM's Sway In the Morning, "I had high blood pressure and being that I had that, that takes a lot out of a brotha."  

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During his latest health struggle, Rob's peers in the music industry came together in order to assist the rapper. Last week Mark Curry, who was also previously signed to Bad Boy Records, and Mike Zombie also created a GoFundMe for Rob's hospital bills, which made half of its $50,000 goal.

On April 11, Mark took to Instagram to call on fans to support Rob's recovery. In the video, he said, "Rob is here, and a lot of people want to know how he's doing, but these are the same people, they don't reach out to me. Reach out to me. I don't hate you. I don't dislike you."

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He also included a message to P. Diddy. "Puffy, we need your help and you are reaching out," Mark said. "You're trying to help. We're not trying to say he's not. Puffy is really trying to help. But try, reach out, have someone call. There's a lot of things you need to know, brother."