Rob Base, Hip-Hop Pioneer, Dies at 59

Rob Base, the Harlem-born rapper whose voice helped power one of hip-hop’s most recognizable party anthems, “It Takes Two,” died on May 22, 2026, following a private battle with cancer. He was 59.

Born Robert Ginyard on May 18, 1967, Base emerged from New York’s mid-’80s rap scene alongside longtime friend DJ E-Z Rock, born Rodney Bryce. The pair met as children in Harlem and built their reputation through local performances and early singles before breaking through in 1988 with “It Takes Two,” a track that fused James Brown-inspired funk, booming beats, and Base’s instantly recognizable delivery into a crossover hit that helped move hip-hop deeper into the mainstream.

Built around a sample of Lyn Collins’ “Think (About It),” “It Takes Two” became unavoidable during the late ’80s, climbing the charts, going platinum, and eventually turning into one of the defining party records of its era. More than three decades later, the song still echoed through movies, commercials, sporting events, weddings, clubs, and playlists that needed an instant jolt of energy.

The duo followed that success with additional hits including “Joy and Pain” and “Get On The Dance Floor,” blending hip-hop with dance music at a time when rap was still fighting for wider acceptance on pop radio and MTV. Their debut album, It Takes Two, also achieved platinum status and helped establish Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock as one of the most commercially successful rap acts of the late ’80s.

While trends in hip-hop shifted over the decades, Base remained connected to the music and to audiences who grew up with those records. He continued performing well into the 2020s, appearing on nostalgia tours including the popular I Love The ’90s package shows, where “It Takes Two” routinely proved timeless.

DJ E-Z Rock died in 2014 at age 46 due to complications related to diabetes, leaving Base as the surviving face of a duo whose music never really disappeared from popular culture.

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