Rob Base, 'It Takes Two' Rapper and Hip Hop Pioneer, Dead at 59
The Harlem-born MC, born Robert Ginyard, died Friday after a private battle with cancer. His 1988 classic with DJ E-Z Rock helped bring hip hop into the mainstream.
www.bet.comRob Base has died. Multiple outlets report that Rob Base, real name Robert Ginyard, passed away at age 59 after a private battle with cancer, with announcements dated May 21–22, 2026. He was best known as one half of the hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, famous for the 1988 hit “It Takes Two.”
Key details
For more context and contemporary reactions from colleagues and fans, you’ll find coverage from outlets like Variety, Billboard, CBS News, and others published around May 21–22, 2026.
Would you like a quick timeline of his career highlights or a briefography you can share on social media?
The Harlem-born MC, born Robert Ginyard, died Friday after a private battle with cancer. His 1988 classic with DJ E-Z Rock helped bring hip hop into the mainstream.
www.bet.comSadly, Hip Hop has lost one of its pioneers, as it's reported that Rob Base has died after a private cancer battle.
www.hotnewhiphop.com“It Takes Two” creator Rob Base had been battling cancer.
www.thedailybeast.comHip-hop pioneer and New York native Rob Base has died at age 59.
www.cbsnews.comRapper Rob Base has died after a battle with cancer. He was 59. His team shared the news of his death on his Instagram page. Base was one half of the Harlem hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock. The duo was best known for the 1988 hit “It Takes Two,” a blend of hip-hop and house music that helped bring the genres into the mainstream. DJ E-Z Rock died in 2014 at age 46 of complications from diabetes. The two met as fifth grade students in Harlem. Their song “It Takes Two” has been certified...
www.ajc.comRob Base, member of the hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, has died at the age of 59 after a cancer diagnosis he kept private.
people.com