Rob Base, the rapper best known for the hip-hop classic \u2018It Takes Two\u2019,\u00a0has died at the age of 59.<\/p>\n
The news was confirmed in a statement shared via his Instagram account, which said: \u201cToday, we share the heartbreaking news that hip hop legend Rob Base passed away peacefully on May 22, 2026, surrounded by family after a private battle with cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRob\u2019s music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world,\u201d it added. \u201cBeyond the stage, he was a loving father,\u00a0family man, friend, and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for the music, the memories, and the moments that became the soundtrack to our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Base, whose real name was Robert Ginyard, rose to prominence as one half of\u00a0New York duo\u00a0Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock,\u00a0with his\u00a0longtime collaborator\u00a0having\u00a0died\u00a0in 2014 following complications from diabetes<\/a>.<\/p>\n The\u00a0pair found major success\u00a0in the late \u201880s, helping to push hip-hop further into the mainstream with their\u00a0breakthrough 1988 anthem\u00a0\u2018It Takes Two\u2019.<\/p>\n Based around a sample of Lyn Collins\u2019 1972 track \u2018Think (About It)\u2019, it blended rap, house and pop to become a crossover hit, reaching Number Three on the Billboard Hot Dance\/Club Songs chart and later earning platinum status in the US. It would go on to be sampled by the likes of Snoop Dogg<\/a>,\u00a0Black Eyed Peas<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Gang Starr<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Born in Harlem on May 18, 1967, Base met DJ E-Z Rock \u2013 real name Rodney \u2018Skip\u2019\u00a0Bryce \u2013 in\u00a0while\u00a0the pair were still in\u00a0school and they quickly began recording together, signing with Profile Records in 1987.\u00a0Their debut album \u2018It Takes Two\u2019 also featured \u2018DJ Interview\u2019,\u00a0\u2018Joy and Pain\u2019 and \u2018Get\u00a0On\u00a0The\u00a0Dance Floor\u2019,\u00a0establishing\u00a0them as a major new name in hip-hop.<\/p>\n Base released a solo\u00a0album\u00a0\u2018The Incredible Base\u2019 in 1989 before reuniting with DJ E-Z Rock for 1994\u2019s \u2018Break\u00a0Of\u00a0Dawn\u2019.<\/p>\n In later years, he continued to tour regularly\u00a0as part of hip-hop package tours, and had been scheduled to appear on the Rock\u00a0The\u00a0Bells cruise later this year.<\/p>\n