Hip hop pioneer and member of UTFO Kangol Kid passed Friday after a battle with Stage 4 colon cancer. He was 55.
WBLS reports that Kangol, real name Shaun Fequiere, fought the disease since his diagnosis in February. He immediately started chemotherapy, but his condition deteriorated, and he had recently undergone surgery.
New York City Promoter Van Silk confirmed his death to HipHopDX on Saturday.
“I’m hearing Kangol passed,” he told the outlet in a text. “I was on with Mix Master Ice last night. Trying to find out. RIP KANGOL KID. He passed at 3:02 a.m. My prayers go out to my brother who fought a battle of colon cancer at Stage 4.”
Silk is also battling colon cancer, diagnosed with Stage 2. He is encouraging people to get their prostate and colon checked.
Kangol rose to notoriety with the group UTFO. In 1984, their single “Roxanne, Roxanne” topped the hip-hop charts. The track sparked the “Roxanne Wars,” and a series of “answer songs” was released. Most notably by 14-year-old Roxanne Shante, who dropped “Roxanne’s Revenge.”
In 1987, they released their album Lethal, which was the number one selling hip hop album in the United States.
He also wrote and composed for Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam’s debut album Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force in 1985. The album spawned hits like “Can You Feel the Beat” and “All Cried Out.”
Tributes began pouring in on social media.
