Famed Bay Area MC Steve Gaines, better known as Baba Zumbi of the rap group Zion I, died on Friday morning, his family confirmed to KQED. He was 49-years-old.
In a statement to the station, Zumbi’s family said he passed away at Alta Bates Hospital in Oakland from unknown causes.
Close friends of Zumbi told the news organization that he died from complications of COVID-19, however neither his family nor his publicist confirmed those reports.
In a statement, DJ True Justice, a touring DJ for Zion I, told Project Blowed, a hip-hop collective, that Baby Zumbi was "recovering from COVID and had a severe asthma attack and his heart stopped… They were unable to revive him."
Prior to his death, Zumbi was working on a Zion I reunion tour with longtime producer Amp 1, scheduled to begin in October that would "honor the legacy of their musical endeavors for their fans," his family told the station.
Zumbi first released music under the name Zion I in 2000 and collaborated with Amp Live over the next decade to produce seven full-length albums. Amp 1 left Zion I in 2015 before the two decided to reunite later this year.
The Oakland-based rapper was a staple in Bay Area hip-hop and news of his death reverberated across the community.
Zumbi is survived by his three sons, mother and brother.
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