The Roots Founding Member Malik B dies at 47

Superstar Rapper Malik B, founding member of The Roots, has passed away at the age of 47. According to Entertainment Weekly, his family and friends are mourning the sudden death of the musician.

His cousin Don Champion tweeted out after the news broke "Mourning my beloved cousin today. He was so talented and had a huge heart. I still remember when he and The Roots were starting out. He'd give me and my dad their cassette tapes to listen to. I miss you already, Mailk." His band, The Roots, are also mourning his death. According to Entertainment Weekly, they called him a “beloved brother” on Twitter and talked about his love for Islam and being one of the most talented and gifted musicians of our generation.

For those who don’t know the life of Malik, he was born right in Philadelphia and was a part of the band The Roots. They are primarily a hip-hop band and perform on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Malik was in the group until 1999 and was featured on their first four albums. According to Entertainment Weekly, he was featured on the albums "Game Theory" and "Rising Down" later in 2006 and 2008. He never appeared on The Tonight Show with the band, but he was a major part of The Roots beginning fame.

Other artists remembered Malik on social media. Blueprint tweeted "'Step into The Realm' from Things Fall Apart was always one of my favorite performances from him." He added, "One more classic verse from Malik B from "Distortion to Static." "Now go get your dictionary and your dictionary..." RIP"

Rest in Peace to Malik and we are sending love to his family and friends affected by his death.