Former Bad Boy rapper Black Rob, perhaps best known for the single “Whoa!” released in 2000, has died, according to fellow Bad Boy rapper Mark Curry. He was 51.
Curry — who joined Rob on the 2001 Sean “Diddy” Combs track “Bad Boy for Life” — had been sharing updates about Black Rob’s health recently. Curry confirmed Rob’s passing Saturday (April 17) on Instagram, saying in a video: “I don’t know where to begin this, but I thank everybody for the donations. Rob passed away about an hour ago. I need for his daughter, Iona Ross, little Robert Ross, y’all get in touch with me, please.” Videos of Black Rob, born Robert Ross, lying in a hospital bed, had surfaced over the past week. “I’ve been dealing with this for five years,” he said of his health problems. “Four strokes. I don’t know what to tell you, man. This s— is crazy. This s— is hard.”
Black Rob released four studio albums throughout his career: 2000’s Life Story, 2005’s The Black Rob Report, 2011’s Game Tested, Streets Approved and 2015’s Genuine Article. His Life Story album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and “Whoa!” peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.
