Rashad Harden, a house music and footwork pioneer who was better known as DJ Rashad, was found dead on the South Side of Chicago earlier this afternoon.
The 34-year-old rapper was found unresponsive by a friend at approximately 1:30pm, in an apartment located in the 2100 block of West 21st Street. According to the Chicago Sun-Times a drug overdose is suspected, as drugs and drug paraphernalia were seen near Harden’s body.
His father, Anthony Harden, revealed that he had a prescription for Xanax but there’s no definite answer on what killed the musician, as an autopsy is scheduled for Sunday.
Chance The Rapper tweeted:
Music lost a legend today. And he was my friend. Love you DJ Rashad. RIP
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 27, 2014
Man I been really goin through it lately. Keep praying for me though. This is far from over.
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 27, 2014
Jay Electronica and Danny Brown were among others who tweeted their condolences:
if its true that DJ Rashad died, thats sad news. so sad 🙁
— ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTRONICA (@JayElectronica) April 27, 2014
🙁
— ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTRONICA (@JayElectronica) April 27, 2014
Music lost a legend … DJ Rashad will be missed .. My prayers go out to everyone saddened by this tragedy
— Danny Brown (@xdannyxbrownx) April 27, 2014
DJ Rashad helped develop and popularize footwork, a music genre that originated in Chicago. Chicago Sun-Times reports:
It started out in high school gyms and neighborhood dances on the South Side and the West Sides and has long since crossed over to clubs and rock festivals.
Rashad was a big part of that. He started out as a DJ when he was 10 or 11 years old, his father said.
‘Since he was a kid, he’s been doing this,’ Harden said. ‘He knew what he wanted to do, and a lot of us don’t get a chance to make our dream come true.’
May he rest in peace. He will be greatly missed.
SOURCE: Chicago Sun-Times | PHOTO CREDIT: Facebook
