“Menace II Society” actor, rapper Saafir dies at 54

The Oakland rapper often known as Saafir died on Tuesday in his hometown of Oakland, Calif., on the age of 54.

Saafir’s longtime good friend and fellow rapper Xzibit confirmed the information in an Instagram post by Saafir’s longtime good friend and fellow rapper Xzibit.

“I can’t consider I’m penning this proper now, however don’t know what else to do in the meanwhile. Roughly at 8:45 a.m. this morning, my brother Reggie identified to the world as Saafir handed away,” he wrote.

“We now have a lot historical past I can’t even clarify what I’m feeling proper now. We surrounded him and let him know the way a lot we beloved him. He can relaxation now,” he continued. “My soul is crushed. We love you Bro.”

Born Reggie Gibson, Saafir was a member of the Golden State Mission, a rap group that included Xzibit and Ras Kass. He additionally labored with the teams Hobo Junction and, extra notably, Digital Underground, in response to People and E! News.

Along with rapping, he bought a starring position within the acclaimed 1993 movie “Menace II Society.” The subsequent yr he bought a report take care of Quincy Jones and launched the album “Boxcar Classes.”

After releasing a number of albums, he stepped away from music as a result of well being points, together with a cancerous tumor in his spinal wire that left him unable to stroll.

“The physician instructed me that if I didn’t take it out, by the point I used to be in my later 40s I’d in all probability be paralyzed,” he stated to the San Francisco Bay Guardian in 2013. “And it’s ironic as a result of I did the surgical procedure and I’m nonetheless kinda in that state of affairs.”

He’s survived by his son, Lil Saafir, and his brother, a rapper often known as Chop Black, in response to E! Information.