LOS ANGELES — Mister Cee, one among hip-hop’s pioneering DJs and a New York Metropolis radio persona who performed an instrumental function within the Infamous B.I.G.‘s debut album, has died. He was 57.
The famed disk jockey’s loss of life was confirmed Wednesday by Skip Dillard, the model supervisor at 94.7 The Block NYC, the place Cee had a present. The reason for loss of life has not been introduced.
“We’ve misplaced some of the essential figures within the trade,” 94.7 The Block mentioned in a social media publish.
Mister Cee was a key participant within the rap group. He was previously Large Daddy Kane’s DJ and an government producer on The Infamous B.I.G.’s groundbreaking 1994 debut, “Able to Die.”
The New York native was additionally a radio persona on his hometown’s Scorching 97. However he briefly stop his gig in 2013 after arrests in reference to soliciting prostitutes. Audio of 1 encounter surfaced on-line.
After that final incident, Mister Cee denied attempting to solicit intercourse from a male, and mentioned an undercover feminine police officer approached him. He additionally denied being gay.
However Mister Cee quickly went again on air for an interview on Scorching 97 with Ebro Darden and confessed in a tearful interview to having same-sex encounters with prostitutes. Nonetheless, he additionally mentioned he didn’t contemplate himself homosexual or bisexual.
Throughout the interview, Mister Cee apprehensive if his admission may damage him: “Am I nonetheless going to be seemed on the similar method?”
However Mister Cee gained help from some inside hip-hop – which was shocking on the time, on condition that the group had usually been branded homophobic as a result of anti-gay lyrics by a few of its largest stars.
“No matter Mister Cee does together with his private life, extra energy to him,” mentioned Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, chief of The Roots in a 2013 interview. “He shouldn’t be ashamed of that. We bought to develop up ultimately.”
Mister Cee in the end determined to not stop his job at Scorching 97 and go to remedy after Darden persuaded him to remain put. On the time, he teamed up with the AIDS Well being Basis for a “new sexual revolution” marketing campaign the place he inspired others to open up about their sexuality and use safety.
However Mister Cee’s return to the station was quick lived. He left in 2014.
All through the years, Mister Cee maintained his respect inside the rap trade and saved engaged on different radio packages, spinning throwback tracks on his present on 94.7 The Block earlier than his loss of life.
“I’m so blessed to have identified him,” Dillard mentioned on social media.
