Tommy Debarge Dead at 64

Photo Credit: Facebook 

Tommy Debarge, who along with his brother Bobby founded the 1970s R&B group Switch which found success with Billboard R&B Chart Top 10 hits "There'll Never Be", "I Call Your Name", and "Love Over & Over Again" — and was an early influence on the eponymously named family supergroup, Debarge,  is dead at the age of 64.

His mother Etterlene Debarge acknowledged the death of the artist, who reportedly has battled kidney and liver failure for years, in a short Facebook post. 

“Tommy has gained his wings,” she captioned a photo of Debarge playing his guitar in front of a cloudy sky. Adding later in another post, "Thomas DeBarge is resting with his big brother, Bobby Debarge now, peacefully, making heavenly music suitable for the angels up high."

TMZ was the first to break the news. The website reported that Debarge died on Oct. 21, following a short hospitalization after his health had declined in recent weeks. His daughter Marina Reeves, who spoke to him the night before he died, revealed that Debarge had also battled Covid-19 earlier in the year.

She shared a touching tribute of her own on her Facebook page following his passing:

My Daddy was transitioning this time yesterday. While I was getting new tires to go see him.  I pray it was so smooth and peaceful. I pray Mommy, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Andre, Mama Brenda, and Dontae, and all of our loved ones met him in paradise. Wednesday morning in my prayer and meditation time I seen them all. Him and Uncle Bobby sat on the edge of a cliff swinging their legs like kids. Then, they took a leap. Uncle Bobby had Daddy’s hand because he didn’t know what he was doing but Uncle Bobby taught Daddy how to fly and they flew off. Daddy is with his friend in the sky. I’m at peace with that. He was so tired. He fought so damn hard. Literally until the end. My Daddy. Ooooh I loved him so. The memories are pouring in today. Ones I forgot all about. 💔🥺 I’m still coming Daddy. I gotchu. I honored him this long and I will until the very end.

Tommy and Bobby left Switch and Motown Records in the early eighties in order to mentor their younger siblings in Debarge. The group enjoyed tremendous success throughout the decade, but the family's infamous struggles with drug addiction, drug trafficking, and interpersonal issues eventually led to Debarge disbanding in 1989. Bobby died of AIDS-related complications in 1995.

Upcoming Book to Feature Art of Public Enemy Frontman Chuck D

Photo Credit: Twitter 

The frontman of one of hip-hop's seminal rap groups is ready to show the world that his talents go beyond the spoken word.

Chuck D, frontman and co-founder along with Flavor Flav, of Public Enemy announced on Tuesday (Oct. 19) that he is partnering with Genesis Publications to release the first official book of his artwork.

"I was raised with an artist's mentality; my first 25 years were spent as somebody who wanted to live among graphics and artwork and illustration, and then for the next 30 years it was all music," said the musician, who studied graphic design at Long Island's Adelphi University before embarking on his career as one of rap's most political and socially conscious MCs, in a statement.

Adding, "In the last six years, I've reverted back into the arts, combining all of these elements in my work, still trying to change the world. This is truly what I want to do."

One of the sketches to be included in Chuck D’s book. The project currently does not have a name or release date. 

Fortunately for music lovers, his artistic ambitions were thwarted temporarily when Chuck, born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, met the madness to his mastermind in fellow student William Jonathan Drayton Jr., who would go on to be better known as the group's clock-wearing hypeman Flavor Flav.

They unleashed their creation Public Enemy on the world in 1985 and in 1987 the release of their debut ablum "Yo! Bum Rush the Show" was released to critical acclaim and their decades-long journey to the top of rap's Mt. Rushmore had begun. 

Now the multi-platinum recording artist, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, educator, activist and visual artist is excited to share another side of him. 

The book will be accompanied by a commentary from Chuck D that guides the reader through his thought process and inspirations, sharing anecdotes and discussing the connotations behind his art, which ranges from portraits of his musical inspirations — including Nina Simone, Bob Dylan and the Beastie Boys —to his original creation of the Public Enemy logo and political cartoons and sketches.

 

Mystery Buyers of Wu-Tang Album Revealed

Wu-Tang may be forever, but the hip-hop collective's presumably mortal fans are still clinging on to hope that they won't have to wait that long to hear "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin."

The 31-track double album famously bought by the now-infamous “Pharma Bro” — hedge fund manager and pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli —for $2 million in 2015 at auction, has a new owner.

The New York TImes reports crypto collective PleasrDAO took ownership of "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" in early September in a "complex" $4 million deal involving the creation of an NFT through which the groups 74 members share ownership of the deed to the album. 

“This beautiful piece of art, this ultimate protest against middlemen and rent-seekers of musicians and artists, went south by going into the hands of Martin Shkreli, the ultimate internet villain,” Jamis Johnson, PleasrDAO’s 34-year-old Chief Pleasing Officer told Rolling Stone, "We want this to be us bringing this back to the people. We want fans to participate in this album at some level.”

This has been a crazy journey to get here and we can't wait to share more with you all

We are honored to own this piece of history ✨ https://t.co/ukgd03Gcwt

— ✨ PleasrCLAN (@PleasrDAO) October 20, 2021

Whether or not that participation includes listening to the album remains to be seen, but that may have a better chance of happening with PleasrDAO than with the album's previous two owners.

After Shkreli was convicted on two counts of security fraud and one count of securities fraud conspiracy in August 2017 and sentenced to seven years in prison, the United States Government, which had seized it, sold the album to satisfy the remaining balance ($2.4 million) of the $7.4 million forfeiture order owed by 38-year-old Shkreli.

At the time acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, stated the sale of the one-of-a-kind album was at least enough to pay out what was owed, but no figures were released

“Through the diligent and persistent efforts of this office and its law enforcement partners, Shkreli has been held accountable and paid the price for lying and stealing from investors to enrich himself. With today’s sale of this one-of-a-kind album, his payment of the forfeiture is now complete,” Kasulis said.

In 2015 "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" was marketed as “both a work of art and an audio artifact and that it includes a hand-carved nickel-silver box as well as a leather-bound manuscript containing lyrics and a certificate of authenticity. It also noted that “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" is subject to various restrictions, including those relating to the duplication of its sound recordings.

https://t.co/mYCMSOZysb pic.twitter.com/q6UBVHxek3

— ✨ PleasrCLAN (@PleasrDAO) October 20, 2021