UK label Suburban Base shared the news of MC Duke’s passing on Sunday, April 21.
The UK rave scene mourns the loss of another artist close to the early origins of the worldwide movement. MC Duke, a talent whose contributions to both hip-hop and hardcore cemented his legacy among the greats, has passed away of undisclosed causes.
UK hardcore, jungle and drum and bass label Suburban Base Records revealed MC Duke’s death in a Sunday, April 21 Instagram post. “It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our dear friend, MC Duke,” wrote Danny Donnelly and Winston Meikle of Suburban Base. “Since the early ’90s, we have had the privilege of calling him a friend and collaborator, with the most releases on our Suburban Base sister imprint, Boogie Times, witnessing his unparalleled talent and unwavering dedication to music.”
Donnelly and Meikle, who helped MC Duke (real name Kashif Adham) set up his Hard Disk label, wrote that they had been present at the end of his life. “In his final days, we (Danny & Winston) were grateful to visit and be by his bedside, alongside his family, sharing in the immense emotions that accompanied our farewell,” they wrote.
Adham, who hailed from South London, famously got his start in 1987 when he beat the emcee who won the DMC MC Battle at the DMC World Championships after party. The late British rapper Derek B witnessed the showing and invited Adham to accompany him to the Music Of Life headquarters the next day, where Adham landed his first record deal.
Several releases later, Adham signed to Shut Up And Dance Records, blurring the lines separating hip-hop and hardcore. His Hard Disk label would champion jungle and drum and bass, and later in his career, he released on imprints such as Blame Technology and Fat Hop.
We here at EDM Identity offer our sincere condolences to the friends, colleagues and loved ones of MC Duke at this time.
