An East Bay rap legend has passed away.
Digital Underground’s Shock G, lead singer and co-founder of the pioneering Oakland hip hop group, was found dead in a Tampa hotel room on Thursday, his father confirmed to TMZ. While there were no signs of trauma, the cause of his death wasn’t immediately clear.
Chopmaster J, a bandmate of Shock G, remembered him on Instagram.
Shock G was known for his alter ego "Humpty Hump," made famous wearing a white hat and black rim glasses in the music video for the group’s smash 1989 hit "The Humpty Dance."
The song launched Digital Underground to worldwide celebrity.
But there was more to the groundbreaking group than "The Humpty Dance."
"Digital Underground expanded on Parliament-Funkadelic’s bouncy, elastic funk and outlandish, occasionally goofy stage personas and costumes to become a singular hip-hop group," wrote Rolling Stone.
The 57-year-old emcee, producer and rapper was raised on the East Coast but eventually settled in Oakland, where he started Digital Underground in the late 1980s. Shock G also worked with artists like 2Pac, Prince and Dr. Dre.
An autopsy is expected.
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