Popular New York City rapper and former firefighter Ka, whose real name is Kasim Ryan, has died, according to his social media accounts. He was 52 years old.
He passed away “unexpectedly” on Saturday. Via his Instagram accountNBC News reported Monday. He praised his contributions to firefighting, to his beloved neighborhood of Brownsville, and to hip-hop as part of “a life of service — to his city, his community, and his music.”
A cause of death was not available, and a spokesperson for the New York City Chief Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to a request for information.
“Captain Ryan has served the New York Defense Forces and the people of New York City with distinction for 20 years, serving on assignments in both the Bronx and Brooklyn,” Fire Department spokesman Jim Long said via email. “The Ryan family remains in our thoughts during their time of loss.”
Fun Ka gained notoriety among critics, songwriters, and fellow managers relatively late in his life, first wowing audiences in 2008 with messages and music that existed almost entirely beneath the surface, in an indie rap scene where charts and Ferraris weren’t particularly popular.
Ka became known for his published lyrics and collaborations with the likes of GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan and producer Roc Marciano. He has held a space in the minds of critics and fellow hip-hop artists for his humble, precise, and acerbic rhymes, with some describing him as one of hip-hop’s greatest writers.
The song “$,” which appeared on Ka’s popular 2016 album “Honor Killed the Samurai,” created a buzz in mainstream hip-hop, calling it a celebratory wartime metaphor.
“With the bars of greed, I beg you, how many cars do you need? When parents bleed to fill the ribs of children who can barely read/F— your stolen rhymes, and the new discoveries you bought/If you buy nothing,” he wrote: “Soup them in soup lines and churches.” “.
In the 2016 profile title, Music publishing TIt is a letterhead Ka has been called “New York rap’s greatest living treasure.” Hip-hop journalist Jeff Weiss He said MSday sn× That Ka was a “master of quiet fury” whose music contained “pain, sadness and wisdom in every vein.”
The announcement on Ka’s Instagram page stated that he had produced 11 albums under his name. “He left an extraordinary legacy as a recording artist,” she said.
Ka’s story is rare on multiple levels, including his success later in life after he eschewed the recording studio in favor of a 20-year firefighting career, which, according to the statement on his Instagram account, brought him to the historic September 11 tragedy as a first responder and eventually saw him reach Rank of captain.
He told The Fader that his cousin gave him $1,000 in 1989 so he could buy studio time. In 1994, Ka’s name appeared for the first time on a recording when he participated in a project by Natural Elements, a group of managers and hip-hop artists.
However, his microphone dreams faded, and he only returned to recording in the 2000s, eventually releasing “Iron Works” in 2008. He told Complex magazine that he was inspired to show his mother that he hadn’t wasted his youth trying. To be a rapper.
“I wanted to give my mother a CD to hold in her hand,” he was quoted as saying. “I just wanted to prove that I didn’t waste 20 years perfecting a craft without being able to show it.”
According to music publication Pitchfork, that was also the year Ka’s reputation as a verse emcee made its way to fellow Brooklyn native GZA (Gary Grace) of the Wu-Tang Clan. GZA invited him to rhyme the song “Firehouse” which appeared on GZA’s “Pro Tools” album. Ka’s turn behind the mic with GZA seems to confirm his status as a low-key legend.
The track was preceded by a number of solo productions that put Ka’s name into circulation as a top lyricist. His last known recording, “The Thief Next to Jesus,” was released in August.
Ka was survived by his wife, mother, and sister, according to the statement he posted on his Instagram account.
In a statement On her verified Instagram account On Monday, his wife, Mimi Valdes, called Ka “my king, my hero, my best friend.”
. “Professional creator. Lifelong thinker. Reader. Beer buff. Troublemaker. Evil problem solver.”