Rob Base, rapper behind 'It Takes Two', dies at 59

Rob Base, one half of a defining hip-hop duo

Rob Base, the rapper behind 'It Takes Two' and one half of the duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, has died at 59. According to Pitchfork, the Harlem MC had been living with cancer. No further details about the circumstances of his death were confirmed at the time of publication.

A track that outlasted its era

'It Takes Two' remains one of the most recognizable records in hip-hop history, a song that crossed over far beyond its original audience and has been sampled, licensed, and replayed across decades. The track is a fixture on any serious old school hip-hop playlist, and its opening bars are still instantly familiar to listeners who have never followed rap closely.

Rob Base formed the duo with DJ E-Z Rock out of Harlem. The partnership produced music that helped define the sound of late-1980s rap, and 'It Takes Two' in particular endured well past the moment it was made.

The hip-hop community has lost one of its foundational voices.