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RIP Mayor Ed Koch: He Repped a Bygone Era in NY and Was an Enemy to Hip Hop
Woke up this morning to hear that former New York City Mayor Ed Koch had died… According to the initial reports, he passed because of heart failure. For what seemed like decades, Koch was the face and symbol of New York.. When compared to current Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his predecessor Rudy Giuliani, Koch repped the New York of what is now a bygone era.. I’d rather have Koch over these two clowns, but make no mistake Koch was not a friend.. He was just an enemy we all got used to…

For those of us into Hip Hop, Koch was a constant presence and a major thorn in the side.More

“Beastie Boys” rapper MCA — real name Adam Yauch — has died. In 2009, MCA announced he was being treated for a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node. He has since undergone surgery and radiation therapy.

So far, it’s not clear if the death is related to the rapper’s battle with cancer. Russell Simmons’ website GlobalGrind.com first reported the death. We have spoken to people independently connected to the rapper who also say he is dead. Yauch co-founded Beastie Boys in 1979 with Mike D, Mix Master Mike, and Ad Roc. The group has won multiple Grammys.

Yauch is survived by his wife and daughter. He was 47.

OS ANGELES – Teena Marie, the “Ivory Queen of Soul” who developed a lasting legacy with her silky soul pipes and with hits like “Lovergirl,” “Square Biz,” and “Fire and Desire” with mentor Rick James, has died. She was 54. The confirmation came from a publicist, Jasmine Vega, who worked with Teena Marie on her last album, 2009′s “Congo Square.” Her manager, Mike Gardner, also confirmed her death to CNN.

The singer continued performing in recent years after overcoming an addiction to prescription drugs. It was unclear late Sunday where and how she died. Marie certainly wasn’t the first white act to sing soul music, but she was arguably among the most gifted and respected, and was thoroughly embraced by the black audience. (more…)