Quick Answer
Rob Base, born Robert Ginyard in Harlem, has died at the age of 59. His family confirmed the news through his official Instagram on Friday, May 22, stating that he passed away peacefully surrounded by relatives following a private battle with cancer.
He is best known as the lead voice on 'It Takes Two', the 1988 single he recorded with his partner DJ E-Z Rock that became one of the defining anthems of hip hop's crossover into mainstream pop. The song remains a fixture in films, video games, weddings and stadiums almost four decades later.
Where He Came From
Robert Ginyard grew up in Harlem during the period when hip hop was still fighting for mainstream radio time and commercial legitimacy. He came of age inside a scene that prized originality, block party energy and sample literacy, and he built his early reputation as an emcee who could carry a room with personality rather than just punchlines.
The partnership with Bryce Luvah, who performed as DJ E-Z Rock, gave him the production foundation his voice needed. Together they were a classic emcee and DJ duo in the mould of the late 1980s New York scene, but with a pop instinct most of their peers did not have.
Why 'It Takes Two' Mattered
'It Takes Two' came out in 1988 and almost immediately broke the wall between rap and mainstream pop radio. The track was built on a sample from Lyn Collins' 1972 record 'Think (About It)', layered over a furious high tempo breakbeat that DJ E-Z Rock engineered with crisp, almost danceable energy.
The opening line, 'I wanna rock right now, I'm Rob Base and I came to get down', became one of the most recognisable phrases in music. The single went multi platinum. It proved to corporate record executives that hip hop could function as a multi million dollar global pop product without losing its street level energy, and it created a commercial template that a generation of artists would follow.
What set the song apart from most crossovers was that it never apologised for what it was. The breakbeat stayed loud. The rap stayed central. The pop appeal came from energy, not from softening anything for radio.
What Happened to DJ E-Z Rock
Rob Base's lifelong creative partner DJ E-Z Rock died in April 2014 at the age of 46 following diabetic complications. That left Base as the keeper of the duo's catalogue, and he spent more than a decade after that touring internationally as a solo artist, performing at throwback tours, festival sets, and televised halftime shows.
He often spoke about how proud he was that the song stayed in circulation. It was licensed by major Hollywood studios, featured in the Grand Theft Auto franchise among other games, and continuously resampled by modern electronic and pop producers. He treated that longevity as the real legacy, not the platinum plaque on the wall.
His Private Life
Behind the touring circuit, Robert Ginyard kept his personal life grounded in his New York roots. He was a father to a daughter, Dejene, and a son, Robert Ginyard Jr. He was married to Lynette Blackwell following an earlier separation from April Ginyard.
The family asked for privacy as they coordinate plans for a public memorial service in New York. No additional medical details about his cancer have been shared, in keeping with how privately he handled the diagnosis itself.
The Cultural Footprint He Leaves Behind
It is easy to underestimate how much of modern pop music sits on the foundation Rob Base helped build. The idea that a rap single could be a wedding floor filler, a stadium chant, a film needle drop and a video game soundtrack cue at the same time was not obvious in 1988. 'It Takes Two' made it obvious.
Producers working today in pop, dance and hip hop all draw on the same playbook he and DJ E-Z Rock wrote: a recognisable vocal sample, a high tempo breakbeat, a quotable hook, and an arrangement that respects the dance floor. Almost every crossover hip hop record since owes something to that template.
How Artists and Peers Are Responding
The reaction across the music community has been immediate and broad. Contemporary rap stars, veteran producers, radio hosts and DJs from multiple generations posted tributes within hours of the announcement. Many highlighted not the song itself, which is well documented, but the personality behind it. Rob Base was widely described by peers as warm, professional and unfailingly generous with younger artists.
For listeners who came up in the 1980s and 1990s, his voice is tied directly to a specific era of summer block parties and radio mixshows. For younger listeners who only know the song through samples or film placements, the loss is more abstract but no less real. Few artists get to write a record that keeps introducing itself to new generations without help.
The Bottom Line
Rob Base, born Robert Ginyard, died on May 22, 2026 at the age of 59 after a private battle with cancer. He was the voice on 'It Takes Two', one of the defining anthems of late 1980s hip hop, and a foundational figure in the genre's crossover to global pop. He is survived by his wife Lynette Blackwell and his children Dejene and Robert Ginyard Jr.
