Rico Wade, the late producer and longtime collaborator of Outkast, has been celebrated by the duo in a social media tribute. Wade died suddenly and unexpectedly earlier in the month, aged 52, with no cause of death yet revealed. To mark the 30th anniversary of their debut album ‘Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik’, and with the album having numerous writing and production credits from Wade, Outkast took to social media to pay their respects to their former collaborator, without whom, they wrote, “there is no Outkast.”
Wade was a founding member of Organized Noize and produced numerous tracks for artists such as TLC, En Vogue, and Ludacris. Alongside Outkast’s debut album, Wade also contributed to ‘ATLiens’, ‘Aquemini’ and ‘Stankonia’. Additionally, he was one of the three producers who founded the Dungeon Family collective in the early 1990s, which counted among its members CeeLo Green, Killer Mike, and Big Boi. In his own words, “it was time for a revolution.”
André 3000 and Big Boi shared statements about Wade on Instagram. André recalled the first time he met Rico, saying “Rico saw something in us… he said, ‘These guys can really rhyme. They don’t really rhyme like people from the South.'” Big Boi paid tribute to Wade, telling his followers that “there would be no Outkast” without him. The duo quoted Wade, who said, “We got with [Outkast] when they were young. They were like 16 or 17, and they were ready for some direction.”
Following Wade’s death, several artists paid tribute to him, including Killer Mike who wrote on social media, “I don’t have the words to express my deep and profound sense of loss. I am praying for your wife and children. I am praying for the Wade family. I am praying for us all. I deeply appreciate your acceptance into the Dungeon Family, mentorship, friendship, and brotherhood.
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