'The Fat Boys' rapper Prince Markie Dee dies at 52; here's a look at his legacy

Prince Markie Dee, the Fat Boys rapper and radio personality, died on Thursday aged 52. The cause of his death has not been revealed yet. Louis Gregory, the Fat Boys group manager confirmed the news of his demise on Twitter on Thursday, February 18. In a tribute to the late rapper he tweeted, "Forever in my Heart. Prince Markie Dee was more than a rapper; he was one of my very best and closest friends”. “My heart breaks today because I lost a brother. I’ll always love you Mark and I’ll cherish everything you taught me. Tomorrow is your birthday, swing my way big bro.” 

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Prince Markie Dee of The Fat Boys dies at 52

Musician Questlove paid a tribute to the late rapper in an Instagram post on Thursday. He said, "They were figuratively (no weight jokes) the biggest act in hip hop at some point in time. Like the first act that showed this culture might have some real international legs to it. Like they were so dope we just took them for granted. They did dope routines & dance steps, albums went gold & platinum. Did movies & tv & commercials. They explored territories for the first time that today just seems like *yawn* a Tuesday.”

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Who was Prince Markie Dee?

According to Rolling Stones, Prince Markie Dee was born Mark Morales on February 19, 1968. He teamed up with Darren Robinson of The Human Beatbox and Damon Wimbley of Kool Rock Ski to perform under the name The Disco 3 before forming The Fat Boys. The group's career launched in 1983 when they won a talent contest at the Radio City Music Hall. By the end of the 80s, they had become one of rap’s major pop culture ambassadors with the simultaneous release of their platinum-selling fourth album Crushin’ along with their breakout comedy film Disorderlies in 1987. The group had popularized beat-boxing, and their effortless humour and charm helped bring rap music into the mainstream landscape.

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Markie Dee was one of the key rappers and songwriters who eventually launched his solo debut album Free which included the hits Typical Reasons (Swing My Way), and Love Daddy, the former song became a No.1 hit. Markie Dee was well known for being a songwriter to artists like Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Mary J. Blige. Later on in his career, he moved to radio serving as a drive-time host WMIB in Miami and had his own show, The Prince Markie Dee Show on SiriusXM’s Rock the Bells station.

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