Rapper Gift of Gab Dead at 50: Tragic Cause of Death Explored

By Alexandria Reeves

The other half of the hip-hop duo Blackalicious, rapper Gift of Gab, has died. He was 50.

The hip-hop industry lost another rapper again after Gift of Gab, whose real name was Timothy J. Parker, passed away last week. The hip-hop collective Quannum Projects revealed the heartbreaking news to Rolling Stone.

According to the news outlet, the underground rapper died due to natural causes.

"Tim peacefully departed this earth to be with our ancestors on Friday, June 18, 2021. He is survived by two brothers, one sister, many nieces and nephews, countless friends, and fans across the globe," the statement said.

The collective also asked fans for their family's privacy as they cope with the recent loss.

Before his passing, the 50-year-old suffered from health issues due to kidney failure. He underwent dialysis multiple times a week before receiving a new kidney in January 2020.

When he came back following the transplantation, the hip-hop duo marked their final concert due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Friends, Fans Paid Tribute After Gift of Gab's Death

Meanwhile, his tragic passing made his longtime friend and bandmate Xavier "Chief Xcel" Mosley mourn.

In another statement, Chief Xcel paid tribute to the late partner and called him the greatest MC he ever worked with. He noted that Gift of Gab believed in the healing power of music that he continuously contributed positivity through Rhyme.

Meanwhile, DJ Shadow penned a writing on Instagram to assure Gift of Gab's survivors and fans that he is in a better place now.

"Gab loved to think of life as just a momentary stage of a much longer journey and all its trials and tribulations as 'training' for the adventures to come after. If there's one thing I know, wherever Gab is, he's soaring right now," he captioned the post.

Gift of Gab's Legacy

His career began when he was in high school. At that time, he formed Blackalicious while Mosley was studying at the University of California Davis.

The duo went on to connect with other artists in Davis including Lyrics Born and DJ Shadow.

Blackalicious began its career with a series of EPs before releasing "A2G" in 1999. Part of their inspiring track is "Alphabet Aerobics."

For their second album "Blazing Arrow," they signed with then major label MCA in 1992. They continued to release more albums afterward, pushing Blackalicious to leave 100 tracks after Gift of Gab's death.