Source: Gregory Bojorquez / Getty
UPDATED: 9:00 a.m. ET., April. 13th, 2024
As we’ve come to understand year after year, day after day even, death is unfortunately an inevitable part of life. Still, as much of a fact as that may be, the blow of experiencing loss never gets any easier, nor does reporting on the subject in Black culture.
Rico Wade, co-founder of the famed Dungeon Family production group has passed away. Wade, along with the Organized Noise collective helped create the sound of Atlanta and the south, thus become the force that they are in music today.
Rapper Killer Mike spoke on the passing of Wade on social media, saying “I don’t have the words to express my deep and profound sense of loss. I am Praying for your wife and Children. I am praying for the Wade family. I am praying for us all.
I deeply appreciate your acceptance into The Dungeon Family, mentorship, Friendship and Brotherhood. Idk where I would be without ya’ll.
This is a part of the journey. You told me “It ain’t been hard throughout the journey, it’s been a Journey.” The journey ain’t gonna be the Same Journey with U. Like U say tho Umma “Stay Down on it”……we all are.”
The Dungeon Family originated from Atlanta, Georgia, getting its name from “The Dungeon”, the nickname for the studio where many of the collective’s members first began producing music. It was there, in the humid and dim confines of Rico Wade’s basement, that the seeds for an entirely new genre of Southern hip-hop were sown. At the 1995 Source awards, Andre 3000 may have exclaimed “The South got something to say,” but it was Organized Noise who provided the soundtrack.
Wade, along with Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown founded The Dungeon Family. The trio introduced a young Andre 3000 and Big Boi to the world with Outkast’s debut album “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” The Goodie Mob, Future and more. The trio also produced a slew of massive hit songs including “Waterfalls,” by R&B group TLC, En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go,” and multiple songs from their collective including OutKast’s “So Fresh, So Clean.”
The Dungeon Family’s work solidified Atlanta’s reputation as a hotbed for innovative music production. They played a pivotal role in popularizing Southern hip-hop and paved the way for future Atlanta artists and producers.
The significance of the Dungeon Family is not just in the harmony of beats and rhymes but also in their cultural impact. They told the stories and shared the experiences of the South, subsequently altering the perception of Atlanta and Southern music on the world stage. The collective’s legacy continues to inspire new artists and producers who seek to push the boundaries of music and storytelling.
Wade was 52 years old.
Learn more below about who in our culture has passed away so far this year in 2024 Below
Rest In Power: Notable Black Folks Who We’ve Lost In 2024 was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
1. Grammy-Award Winning Singer Mandisa Passes Away At 47
2. Rico Wade
Rapper Killer Mike spoke on the passing of Wade on social media, saying “I don’t have the words to express my deep and profound sense of loss. I am Praying for your wife and Children. I am praying for the Wade family. I am praying for us all.
I deeply appreciate your acceptance into The Dungeon Family, mentorship, Friendship and Brotherhood. Idk where I would be without ya’ll.
This is a part of the journey. You told me “It ain’t been hard throughout the journey, it’s been a Journey.” The journey ain’t gonna be the Same Journey with U. Like U say tho Umma “Stay Down on it”……we all are.”
3. OJ Simpson
4. Vontae Davis
5. Bo$$
6. Naomi Ruth Barber King
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7. Janice Burgess
8. Wrestler Michael Jones
9. Eric Mays
10. Robert Reid
11. Hydeia Broadbent
12. Snoop Dogg’s Brother, Bing Worthington
13. Matriarch Etterlene
14. Carl Weathers
15. Joe Madison
16. Hinton Battle
17. Dexter Scott King, youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr.
18. Nerene Virgin
19. Ex-Saints linebacker Ronald Powell dead at 32
20. Reggie Wells
via PEOPLE:
“On Jan. 9, the local publication revealed that Wells — who worked with Oprah Winfrey for 30 years, among other A-list stars such as Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Michelle Obama, Diahann Carroll and Halle Berry — died in Baltimore, his hometown, “after [battling] a long illness.” He was 76. Before becoming the makeup artist he was known to be, Wells graduated from Baltimore City College and Maryland Institute College of Art and became a city art teacher, according to the Banner.”
21. Jerry Wade aka “The Ultimate Loverman”
Source:n/a
Indianapolis disc jockey Jerry Wade, host of WTLC’s The Quiet Storm with The Loverman Jerry Wade for over 40 years, died at the age 61. his death was confirmed by family on Monday, January 8, 2024.
via WTLC:
“While on the air, Jerry was ‘Mr. Loverman,’ a charismatic, deep voiced, radio disc-jockey, gracing the airwaves Sunday through Thursday with ‘sexiest show in the city.’ But off-air, Jerry made everyone else feel like they were the super star. ‘The Loverman’ was the personality, but if there he had an alter-ego it was just ‘Jerry.’ An ego-less man who loved Indianapolis and wanted to see people smile. What most listeners didn’t know, was Jerry’s giving heart. Jerry was also the Executive Director of ‘Quality of Life,’ an Adult Day Center on the east side of Indianapolis. If that wasn’t enough Jerry was also a entrepreneur, as the owner of several salons known as ‘Hot Cuts’ and of course ‘Jerry Wade Live’ his mobile DJ service. And a real life ‘Hitch’ as through his date coach services he connected and reconnected countless relationship.”
22. Josephine Wright
The The 94-year-old Hilton Head Island woman gained viral appeal in her legal battle to keep hold of her family’s ancestral land. She passed away on January 7 “surrounded by family, loved ones, and prayers” as per CNN.
More via CNN:
“Wright remained committed to protecting her property, filing multiple counterclaims, accusing the developer of harassing her and trashing her property.
‘I want to be left alone,’ Wright told CNN in July. ‘I want to live on my property like I have always in peace and quiet.’
Media mogul Tyler Perry, who had been a fierce champion of Wright in her fight against developers, said he was ‘heartbroken’ to learn of her death in a tribute on Instagram.
‘Ms. Josephine Wright, even though we spoke by phone, I was so looking forward to meeting you in person next month to hand you the keys to your new house, but God had other plans,’ Perry said.”
