“Rob’s music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world,” a statement announcing his death said.

‘It Takes Two’ rapper Rob Base dies at 59

"Rob's music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world," a statement announcing his death said.

By Kathleen Perricone

and Oliver Gettell

Oliver Gettell

Oliver Gettell is a senior news editor at **. He has been at EW since 2015 and previously worked at the Los Angeles Times.

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May 22, 2026 6:25 p.m. ET

Rob Base in New York in 1989. Credit:

Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

- Rob Base, who created the 1988 hip-hop hit, "It Takes Two," died on May 22 after a private battle with cancer.

- "Rob's music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world," said his family.

- The rapper and father of three celebrated his 59th birthday four days before his passing.

Rob Base, the rapper who teamed up with DJ E-Z Rock to create the classic hip-hop song "It Takes Two," died Friday after a private battle with cancer. He was 59.

Born Robert Ginyard, Base passed away peacefully while surrounded by family, according to a statement posted to his Instagram account.

"Rob's music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world," the statement added. "Beyond the stage, he was a loving father, family man, friend, and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten. Thank you for the music, the memories, and the moments that became the soundtrack to our lives."

As the condolences poured in on social media, notable names of the hip-hop community sent their sympathy. "Rest Well My Brother," wrote DJ Jazzy Jeff, who won a Grammy in 1989 with "Fresh Prince" Will Smith. "Rest well King and know your music will never rest," commented De La Soul's Kelvin "Pos" Mercer. "It will live on forever."

Just four days before his passing, Base celebrated his birthday on Instagram. "God thank you for allowing me to see another year," he captioned a photo of himself.

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Base and DJ E-Z Rock, a.k.a. Rodney "Skip" Bryce, released "It Takes Two" in 1988. It was a top-40 hit and would eventually be certified platinum, while also appearing in countless pop culture works like 2010's *Iron Man 2*. E-Z Rock died in 2014 from complications of diabetes.

In 2018, Base, a father of three, explained the genesis of the hit song to *Rolling Stone*. "We did it as a demo trying to get a deal. The guy that was managing us at the time, he told us, 'Yo, we need to get in the studio, knock out a song or whatever.' So me and E-Z Rock, we just threw something together real quick and we went in the studio and knocked it out. It wasn't even really planned. We just went in there and did it, basically."

The music video for "It Takes Two" was just as spontaneous. As Base told *RS*, the record label wasn't interested in financing a visual, "so we just went out and put together our own money and shot it ourselves."

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Base continued touring up until his death, and even had a concert planned for August alongside Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, and MC Lyte. And after all this time, he never tired of playing "It Takes Two."

"I love the song, as much now as I did back in ’86," he told Celebrity Parents Magazine in 2022. "Also, 'It Takes Two' pays the bills!"

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