Organized Noize Producer Dies at 52

Rico Wade, a member of the legendary Atlanta manufacturing trio Organized Noize and co-founder of the hip-hop/soul collective Dungeon Household, has died, Billboard confirmed along with his representatives. He was 52.

“We’re deeply saddened by the sudden and sudden passing of our son, father, husband, and brother Rico Wade,” his household wrote in an announcement on Saturday (April 13). “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the lack of a proficient particular person who touched the lives of so many. We ask that you just respect the legacy of our beloved one and our privateness right now.”

Organized Noize and the Dungeon Household additionally shared a heartfelt message following information of Wade’s passing.

“We’re devastated by the information of the passing of our expensive brother Rico Wade. The world has misplaced one of the crucial modern architects in music, and now we have misplaced a useful buddy,” Organized Noize and the Dungeon Household wrote in a joint assertion. “Rico was the cornerstone of Organized Noize and the Dungeon Household, and we’ll eternally treasure his reminiscence and the moments we shared, creating music as a united group. Our hearts weigh heavy with sorrow, and we kindly request privateness and empathy throughout this difficult interval. Rico’s presence will at all times have a particular spot in our hearts, and within the music we offered to the world.”

Wade’s explanation for dying had not been offered at press time.

Wade — thought-about one of many architects of Southern rap sound — was one-third of the songwriting and manufacturing group Organized Noize, whose members additionally included Sleepy Brown and Ray Murray. The group fashioned within the early Nineteen Nineties and performed a pivotal function in OutKast’s 1994 debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, and Goodie Mob’s 1995 first launch, Soul Meals.

Organized Noize additionally produced a lot of OutKast’s 1996 sophomore album, ATLiens, in addition to tracks on the duo’s Aquemini (together with “Skew It on the Bar-B”) and Stankonia (together with “So Recent, So Clear”). The group went on to work with Large Boi on his solo tasks, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (2010) and Vicious Lies and Harmful Rumors (2012).

Wade and Organized Noize had been additionally chargeable for co-writing and producing TLC’s hit track “Waterfalls,” which spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 chart in 1995. TLC’s T-Boz revealed within the 2016 documentary The Artwork of Organized Noize that she was chargeable for introducing Organized Noize’s Sleepy Brown and Rico Wade via the latter’s job at LaMonte’s Magnificence Provide.

“Rico checked out me, did a bit of dance and mentioned, ‘So?’” Brown recalled. “And when he did it, it cracked me up a lot that I used to be like, ‘Yeah, I like him.’”

Along with TLC, Organized Noize was chargeable for producing En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go” and Ludacris’ “Saturday (Oooh! Ooooh!).”

Wade and Organized Noize primarily labored with their Atlanta-based Dungeon Household collective, whose members have included a variety of abilities together with OutKast’s Large Boi and Andre 3000, Goodie Mob’s Large Gipp, Khujo, T-Mo and Cee Lo Inexperienced, in addition to Killer Mike, Slimm Calhoun, BlackOwned C-Bone and Spine.

Wado was additionally cousins with rapper Future, who beforehand famous that Wade helped launch his profession in music. “Rico assist me 1000 extra instances than anyone ever may,” Future mentioned in 2014, in keeping with Rolling Stone. “No person may ever do what Rico Wade did for me. … Every part I find out about music, I do know due to Rico.”

Future added, “I bought to see Large Boi stroll into the studio. Simply at all times in search of a brand new Outkast album, being a fan and at all times being behind the scenes and seeing what it took and seeing the method of constructing data, and it was all simply fascinating to me.”

Killer Mike, who bought his begin with the Dungeon Household, shared a message about Wade’s passing on Saturday.

“I don’t have the phrases to specific my deep and profound sense of loss. I’m Praying on your spouse and Kids. I’m praying for the Wade household. I’m praying for us all,” the Run the Jewels rapper wrote on Instagram. “I deeply recognize your acceptance into The Dungeon Household, mentorship, Friendship and Brotherhood. Idk the place I’d be with out ya’ll.”

He concluded, “This is part of the journey. You instructed me ‘It ain’t been laborious all through the journey, it’s been a Journey.’ The journey ain’t gonna be the Identical Journey with out U. Like U say tho Umma ‘Keep Down on it’……all of us are.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens additionally launched an announcement about Wade following his dying.

“My ideas and prayers are with the household and associates of Rico Wade,” Dickens wrote in an announcement on the Metropolis of Atlanta’s web site. “Rico was a musical genius and one third of the Grammy Award-winning music manufacturing group Organized Noize. A product of Atlanta Public Colleges, he led within the creation of a hip-hop sound that has spanned a long time and genres. With out Rico Wade, the world might have by no means skilled The Dungeon Household, OutKast, Goodie Mob, Future and plenty of extra. Rico left an indelible mark on music and tradition all over the world and for that, the South will at all times have one thing to say.”