Fatman Scoop dies after collapsing on stage
Fatman Scoop has died aged 53 after he collapsed mid-performance at his concert in Connecticut, US, on Friday.
The US rapper, whose real name is Isaac Freeman III, was headlining the free-to-attend Green & Gold Party at the Town Center Park in Hamden.
He was seen in a video to have collapsed behind the DJ booth after urging concertgoers to “make some noise”.
Mayor Lauren Garrett said in a post to Facebook that the rapper was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. His booking agency, MN2S, later confirmed his death in a statement.
Scoop was best known for his collaborations with Missy Elliott and Ciara on the Grammy Award-winning hit Lose Control and Mariah Carey on It’s Like That, and has been credited as an influential figure in New York City’s hip-hop scene in the 1990s.
“Scoop was a beloved figure in the music world, whose work was loved by countless fans across the globe,” said a spokesperson from MN2S.
“His iconic voice, infectious energy, and great personality made an indelible mark on the industry.”
“Scoop was a beloved figure in the music world, whose work was loved by countless fans across the globe”
Missy Elliot said in a post on X: “Fatman Scoop voice and energy have contributed to many songs that made the people feel happy and want to dance for over two decades. Your impact is huge and will be never be forgotten.”
Fatman Scoop’s tour manager, DJ Pure Cold, wrote in a post on Instagram that he was “lost for words” at the news of his friend’s death.
“You took me all over the world and had me performing alongside you on some of the biggest and greatest stages on this planet,” he wrote. “The things you taught me have truly made me the man I am today.”
The rapper was due to perform at the UK’s Reminisce Festival on 7 September. In a post on Instagram, the festival called the news of his death “devastating”.
“He was not just one of our most popular performers, he was a cherished member of the Reminisce family,” the festival said. “His energy, talent and infectious spirit will be missed more than words can express.”
Fatman Scoop collaborated with a roster of other prominent artists, including Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston. In 2004, he was tapped to mentor six British musicians in the UK TV series Chancers. He also appeared in the anime series The Boondocks and opened his own ice-cream parlor.
In 2015, he was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother 16: UK vs USA, which was housed in the UK. He was the third housemate to be evicted.
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R&B legends unite for Missy Elliott’s first headline tour
Hip-hop pioneer Missy Elliott will hit the road this summer on her first headline tour, joined by Ciara, Busta Rhymes, and special guest Timbaland.
The Live Nation-promoted, 24-city run OUT OF THIS WORLD — The Missy Elliott Experience tour will bring the R&B superstar to arenas across North America, kicking off at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena (19,700-cap) on 4 July.
“This is an incredible time in my life as I am experiencing so many milestone ‘firsts.’ Being the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and now going out on my first headline tour,” Elliott says.
The arena tour will make stops at Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena (20,000), Atlanta’s State Farm Arena (16,888), New York’s UBS Arena (19,000) and Barclays Center (19,000), before wrapping up at Allstate Arena (18,500) in Rosemont, Illinois on 22 August.
“Fans have been asking me to tour forever but I wanted to wait until I felt the time was right because I knew if I was ever going to do it, I had to do it big, and I had to do it with family!” Elliott says. “We can’t wait to share this experience with the fans!”
A lineup of legendary R&B stars will join the four-time Grammy-award-winner on the road. Multi-platinum singer Ciara, hip-hop star Busta Rhymes, and hit-making producer Timbaland fill out the bill, all of whom Elliott has regularly collaborated with during her 30-year career.
“Elliott is a true path breaker in a male-dominated genre”
The multi-artist tour is co-produced by Elliott’s manager Mona Scott-Young, CEO of Monami Entertainment, who says the squad will “deliver a start-to-finish, nonstop, high-octane, OUT OF THIS WORLD concert experience”.
“Missy has always been an iconic groundbreaker and continuously pushes herself to be bolder and go where she has never been before – and surprisingly, one of those places is headlining her own tour!” Scott-Young says.
The 52-year-old star made history last year as the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which declared her “a true pathbreaker in a male-dominated genre.” In 2019, she became the first female hip-hop artist and third-ever rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Her most recent EP, 2019’s ICONOLOGY, was met with critical acclaim, peaking at 24 on the Billboard 200. The debut EP broke the hitmaker’s 14-year hiatus, becoming her first new release since 2006’s greatest hits compilation Respect M.E.
Presales will run from today ahead of the general sale this Friday, 12 April, at 10:00 local time. VIP packages are also available, boasting premium tickets, an onstage group photo, exclusive lounge access, and more.
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