The Secret of Fatman | Credit: X/@capcityhiphop_
Fatman Scoop, the hip-hop artist who topped the charts in Europe with “Be Faithful” in the early 2000s and later lent his distinctive voice and vibrant vibe to hits by artists including Missy Elliott and Ciara, has died after collapsing onstage during a show in Connecticut, according to authorities and his family. He was 53.
The cause of his death was not immediately clear.
The artist was performing in Hamden’s downtown park Friday night when he collapsed, city Chief of Staff Sean Grace said Saturday. Mayor Lauren Garrett posted on Facebook that the artist was having a medical emergency. Concertgoers and paramedics tried to help the artist, who was taken to a hospital, she said.
His family said in an Instagram post that the world has lost a radiant soul, a beacon on stage and in life.
With a gravelly voice and a dancefloor-friendly sensibility, Fatman Scoop was a mainstay on club playlists at the turn of the millennium. But while the world knew him as the voice of the club, his family cherished him as the laughter in our lives, a constant source of support, unwavering strength and courage, his relatives said.
His music made us dance and embrace life with positivity. His joy was contagious and the generosity he showed to everyone will be deeply missed, but never forgotten, they added, saying he leaves behind a legacy of love and joy.
Fatman Scoop, real name Isaac Freeman III, was born in New York City’s Harlem and rose to prominence with 1999’s Be Faithful. What began as a minor hit in the US took off in Europe with a 2003 reissue, which reached number one in the UK and Irish singles charts.
The following year, she appeared in the British television series Chancers, in which musicians mentored artists who wanted to make it in the United States, the BBC reported. She also took part in Celebrity Big Brother 16: UK vs USA, which was filmed in the United Kingdom and aired in 2015.
Scoop, sometimes stylized as Fat Man Scoop or FatMan Scoop, collaborated with Elliott on Lose Control, a summer 2005 song that also featured Ciara. The song won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video at the 2006 awards show.
The same year as Lose Control, he was featured on Mariah Carey’s It’s Like That. He also appeared on tracks by Timbaland, David Guetta, The Situation and Skrillex, among other artists. In 2018, he reunited with Elliott and Ciara for a remix of the latter’s Level Up.
Elliott praised Scoop’s voice and energy on Saturday at X, saying he had contributed to many songs that made people happy for more than two decades.
His IMPACT is HUGE and will NEVER be forgotten, he added.
His long-time booking agency, MN2S, described him as an artist with boundless enthusiasm, a passion for music and a voice and personality that “left an indelible mark on the industry.”
His representative at MN2S, Sharron Elkabas, said in a statement on Saturday that she had spoken to him a few days earlier.
He was in such good spirits it’s hard to believe he’s no longer with us, she said.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: September 1, 2024 | 18:24 IS
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