Duke Bootee, a legendary hip-hop session musician for Sugar Hill Records, has passed away at the age of 69 after a battle with end-stage congestive heart failure. For those who are unaware, Duke Bootee, born Edward Fletcher, was one of the minds behind the Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five track "The Message" which released all the way back in 1982. This was considered one of the biggest hip-hop hits ever at the time, and to this day, it is considered to be a top-five hip-hop track of all-time.
According to Rolling Stone, Fletcher wrote the song all the way back in 1980 and submitted it as a demo called "The Jungle." It's a song all about the harsh realities of living in New York all while delivering some socioeconomic and political messages. While it took a while before labels accepted the track, "The Message" proved to be a massive hit, with Fletcher's influence lasting decades.
Fletcher had been living in Savannah, Georgia over the past few years and passed away at his home while surrounded by his family. This is certainly a huge loss for the hip-hop community and we send our condolences to his family.
RIP to a legend and a pioneer of the music industry.
[Via]
