Rico Wade, the architect of Southern hip-hop who produced albums for rap artists including Outkast, Goodie Mob and Future, has died. He was 52 years old.
Longtime collaborator, artist and activist Killer Mike announced his death on social media on Saturday. No cause of death was provided.
His family confirmed the death in a statement. “We are deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of Rico Wade, our son, father, husband and brother,” the statement said. “It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of a talented individual who touched the lives of so many. “We ask that you respect our privacy and the legacy of our loved ones at this time.”
Mr. Sleepy known as Wade, Ray Murray and Patrick Brown formed the Atlanta-based production team Organized Noize in the early 1990s, uniting at a time when East and West Coast products dominated radio and major label releases. Their work advanced the region from the genre's fringes to a central powerhouse.
The crew, barely out of their teens, hosted aspiring musicians and artists in the basement of Wade's mother's home in East Point, Georgia, in the early 1990s. The basement became known as the Dungeon, with artists who performed there including the groups Parental Advisory and Goodie Mob appearing as part of a collective colloquially called the Dungeon Family.
“I don’t know if you can imagine what it smells like when you smell weed and must and dirt together, but that’s what it smells like,” Dee Dee Hibbler, Outkast’s former manager, said of Dungeon in the 2016 documentary “The Art of Organized Noize.” He said. .”
Inside the Dungeon, under the guidance of Organized Noize, teenagers André Benjamin and Antwan Patton honed their rap skills and personas as André 3000 and Big Boi, forming the Outkast duo.
Mr. Wade did not allow anyone to enter the dungeon. Big Boy recalled auditioning for a producer before entering school.
“We didn’t know how to count sticks or anything,” he told the New York Times last year. “I learned the format one day when I went to the dungeon. Together with the Organized Noize masters, they taught us how.”
The crew signed publishing deals with labels LaFace Records, LA Reid and Babyface, and gained attention with Outkast's breakout single 'Player's Ball'. In 1994, Outkast released their debut album “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”. The album featured rappers tag-teaming their lyrics on Organized Noize, a funk and soul track with live instrumentation and samples.
Neal H. Pogue, an engineer who has worked extensively with Organized Noize, said of Wade, “His influence sparked new ideas.” “And he wasn’t afraid to be soulful. Many people were moving away from the old soul music of Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes. He wasn't afraid to infuse his music with a forest of soul. “We were doing something that no one could touch.”
The album helped Outkast win Best New Artist at the 1995 Source Awards. When André 3000 accepted the award, he famously told the New York crowd filled with heavyweights from the East and West Coasts, “The South has a thing to say, too.”
Those words became a rallying cry. Following Outkast's breakthrough with the release of Goodie Mob's “Soul Food” in 1995, another Dungeon-dwelling group emerged. Both groups, along with the entry of producer and artist Jermaine Dupri, provided a successful blueprint for mid-20th century Atlanta hip-hop. In the 1990s, the city became one of the genre's long-standing focuses, planting roots for artists like Lil Jon, Ludacris, and T.I. to break through.
“The world has lost one of music’s most innovative architects, and we have lost an invaluable friend,” Organized Noize said in a statement Saturday. “Rico was a cornerstone of Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family, and we will forever cherish his memory and the moments we shared while making music as one team.”
Mr. Fogg remembered Mr. Wade as the leader of the production team who supported everyone's success. Mr. Pogue said that Mr. Wade always encouraged him to turn up the 808 drums in the song.
“Without Rico, without Organized Noize, Southern music wouldn’t be as popular as it is,” Mr. Pogue said. “Everything you listen to – it doesn’t matter if it’s country music – everything has a Southern hip-hop feel to it.”
Organized Noize crossed over with one of the biggest hits of 1995, producing TLC's “Waterfalls,” the group's platinum-selling single, which Wade helped write. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and earned Wade a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
Wade also helped launch the career of his cousin Future, one of the most influential rappers in recent years. Future's collaborative album with Metro Boomin debuted at No. 1 earlier this month. “Everything I know about music, I know because of Rico,” he told Yahoo Music in 2014.
Mr. Wade recently contributed to Killer Mike's “Michael,” which won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens praised Mr. Wade's influence in a statement Saturday. “Rico left an indelible mark on music and culture around the world, and the South will always have something to say about it.”
Tributes to Mr. Wade and his work poured in from around the world. social media On Saturday.