“It Takes Two” Rapper Rob Base Dies at 59
Pitchfork • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Rob Base, one-half of the influential Harlem hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, died at age 59 after a private battle with cancer, as announced on May 22.
- The duo's 1988 hit "It Takes Two," which featured a drum break from Lyn Collins' 1972 song "Think (About It)," became a multi-platinum track that helped popularize both hip-hop and house music globally.
- Born Robert Ginyard in 1967, Rob Base met DJ E-Z Rock in elementary school, and they released their first joint single in 1986, leading to their breakthrough with "It Takes Two" under Profile Records in 1987.
- Following the success of "It Takes Two," they released a debut album with additional hits, and Base also released a solo album in 1989; he continued performing in recent years on nostalgia tours like the "I Love the ‘90s Tour."
- Tributes from prominent hip-hop figures such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, Vanilla Ice, Grandmaster Flash, and Fat Joe praised Base's impact on the genre and remembered him as a charismatic and influential artist.