Source: FREDERICK FLORIN / Getty

Sooner or later we all become familiar with the notion that death is a part of life and though we know this to be true it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with it when the time comes. A few days after Juice WRLD passed away Hip-Hop suffered another loss as OG Boogie Down Bronx graffiti artist Phase 2 (real name Lonny Wood) lost his fight to Lou Gehrig’s disease earlier during the week.

Hip-Hop promoter Van Silk spoke to HipHopDX about the sad news and told them that the legendary Bronx bomber/Hip-Hop DJ had been hospitalized since August with the rare neurodegenerative disease.

Though many of today’s Hip-Hoppers aren’t familiar with the man or his work, a gang of OG’s of the culture and day one Hip-Hoppers took to social media to pay their respects to Phase 2 and remember his contribution to the culture.

Not only was PHASE 2 one of the first aerosol artists to exhibit the art form, he DJ’ed, rapped, made logos for Mike & Dave Records of Cash Crew fame and was a member of the B-Boy crew Electrified Movement as well. He was also responsible for assembling another infamous B-Boy crew called The New York City Breakers.

Around the mid ’80s, PHASE 2 began art directing and co-editing the notorious street writing and subway art publication IGTimes. Basically, PHASE 2 lived and breathed Hip Hop. His “Funky Nous Deco” style, as he called it, influenced several of his successors.

R.I.P Phase 2

Check out some of the posts below.

View this post on Instagram

Damn… This is crazy.. R.I.P. Phase 2 (Graf Legend & Pioneer) Where do I begin here.??? I knew Lonnie since I was a kid. Unknown to most we grew up together in Forest Projects in the Bronx “same building.. same floor” building #965 I never knew he was a writer until I became an artist and was running into him in different parts of the world . Also known along with Buddy Esquire for creating the legendary Early Hip Hop flyers. I just knew him as my next door neighbor before that. We always got a good laugh about where art had taken both of us. Always proud of his iconic journey in the Graf world. Rest In Peace Brother #Phase2 #TheLegend #TheIcon

A post shared by Lord Finesse – The Underboss (@lordfinesseditc) on Dec 12, 2019 at 8:54pm PST

Source: HipHopWired.com

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