Music Star DJ Rashad Found Dead at Age 34
Rashad Harden, a house music and footwork pioneer who performed as DJ Rashad, has been found dead of an apparent drug overdose. He was 34.
Chicago Police spokeswoman Janel Sedevic said a friend found Harden's body on Saturday afternoon in an apartment on the city's West Side. There was no sign of injury but narcotics and drug paraphernalia were found near his body, she said. An autopsy was conducted on Sunday but the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said it is waiting for the results of toxicology tests to determine a cause of death.
Harden's death comes just days before his EP was scheduled for release and less than a month after fellow house music star Frankie Knuckles also died the city.
Harden, a resident of Calumet City, was poised for a breakout year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. His fifth album received his best reviews, he was scheduled to play clubs all over the world and his latest EP, We On 1, was scheduled to be released on Monday.
"It's just a tragic loss of a great musical genius," said longtime friend and collaborator Morris Harper, who performs as DJ Spinn and who was scheduled to appear with Rashad in Detroit on Saturday night.
Rashad was considered a pioneer of footwork - an electronic-oriented music genre that originated in Chicago. Once known as juke, footwork is named for its quick dance moves and is known for what Rolling Stone calls a "frenzied and hypnotic style of dance music that features heart-racing BPMs and, often, chopped-up loops of popular rap, R&B and pop vocals".
The Sun-Times reported Rashad's fifth LP, Double Cup, which came out last year, is credited with attracting a wider audience to footwork music.
"He shared his music with everyone that would listen," Harden's father, Anthony Harden, told the Sun-Times. "He's been all over the world, taking footwork all over the world."
AP
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment...ar-dj-rashad-dies-aged-34-20140428-37cwn.html
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment...ies-aged-34-20140428-37cwn.html#ixzz30CjdsNMa
Sad news has emerged for dance music fans, as DJ Rashad was found dead at age 34 of a suspected drug overdose.
Police have confirmed that Rashad Harden, who performed music under the name DJ Rashad, was unresponsive when discovered at 1:30 p.m. by a friend on April 26 in Chicago, according to Rolling Stone. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The announcement of his death was made on Twitter by DJ Godfather, who was scheduled to perform in Detroit with Rashad later that night. Police suspect that Rashad died of a drug overdose, as drugs and drug paraphernalia were found nearby.
Several music stars have expressed their grief over DJ Rashad's
passing, including Chance the Rapper, who toured with DJ Rashad in 2013. "Music lost a legend today," Chance tweeted on April 26. "And he was my friend. Love you DJ Rashad. RIP." Meanwhile, rapper Danny Brown tweeted, "Music lost a legend ... DJ Rashad will be missed."
Rashad was a successful producer and DJ who helped popularize footwork, a style of fast-paced dance music that involves loops of rap and R&B vocals. He released an album, Double Cup, last October on British label Hyperdub, and his new EP, We On 1, was scheduled to be released tomorrow. He leaves behind a nine-year-old son, Chad.
Our thoughts are with his loved ones and especially his young son during this very difficult time
http://www.wetpaint.com/celebrity-deaths/articles/2014-04-27-dj-rashad-harden-dead-drugs
Rashad Harden, a house music and footwork pioneer who performed as DJ Rashad, has been found dead of an apparent drug overdose. He was 34.
Chicago Police spokeswoman Janel Sedevic said a friend found Harden's body on Saturday afternoon in an apartment on the city's West Side. There was no sign of injury but narcotics and drug paraphernalia were found near his body, she said. An autopsy was conducted on Sunday but the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said it is waiting for the results of toxicology tests to determine a cause of death.
Harden's death comes just days before his EP was scheduled for release and less than a month after fellow house music star Frankie Knuckles also died the city.
Harden, a resident of Calumet City, was poised for a breakout year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. His fifth album received his best reviews, he was scheduled to play clubs all over the world and his latest EP, We On 1, was scheduled to be released on Monday.
"It's just a tragic loss of a great musical genius," said longtime friend and collaborator Morris Harper, who performs as DJ Spinn and who was scheduled to appear with Rashad in Detroit on Saturday night.
Rashad was considered a pioneer of footwork - an electronic-oriented music genre that originated in Chicago. Once known as juke, footwork is named for its quick dance moves and is known for what Rolling Stone calls a "frenzied and hypnotic style of dance music that features heart-racing BPMs and, often, chopped-up loops of popular rap, R&B and pop vocals".
The Sun-Times reported Rashad's fifth LP, Double Cup, which came out last year, is credited with attracting a wider audience to footwork music.
"He shared his music with everyone that would listen," Harden's father, Anthony Harden, told the Sun-Times. "He's been all over the world, taking footwork all over the world."
AP
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment...ar-dj-rashad-dies-aged-34-20140428-37cwn.html
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment...ies-aged-34-20140428-37cwn.html#ixzz30CjdsNMa
Sad news has emerged for dance music fans, as DJ Rashad was found dead at age 34 of a suspected drug overdose.
Police have confirmed that Rashad Harden, who performed music under the name DJ Rashad, was unresponsive when discovered at 1:30 p.m. by a friend on April 26 in Chicago, according to Rolling Stone. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The announcement of his death was made on Twitter by DJ Godfather, who was scheduled to perform in Detroit with Rashad later that night. Police suspect that Rashad died of a drug overdose, as drugs and drug paraphernalia were found nearby.
Several music stars have expressed their grief over DJ Rashad's
passing, including Chance the Rapper, who toured with DJ Rashad in 2013. "Music lost a legend today," Chance tweeted on April 26. "And he was my friend. Love you DJ Rashad. RIP." Meanwhile, rapper Danny Brown tweeted, "Music lost a legend ... DJ Rashad will be missed."
Rashad was a successful producer and DJ who helped popularize footwork, a style of fast-paced dance music that involves loops of rap and R&B vocals. He released an album, Double Cup, last October on British label Hyperdub, and his new EP, We On 1, was scheduled to be released tomorrow. He leaves behind a nine-year-old son, Chad.
Our thoughts are with his loved ones and especially his young son during this very difficult time
http://www.wetpaint.com/celebrity-deaths/articles/2014-04-27-dj-rashad-harden-dead-drugs
Too soon for you too 
