DISAPPEARANCE – Reggie Ambassador Gibson, American west coast rapper, died on Tuesday November 19 following spinal cancer.
An emblematic figure of American rap, Saafir died at the age of 54. His death was announced by his friend and rapper Xzibit on Tuesday, November 19 on social networks. “This morning, around 8:45 a.m., my brother Reggie, known as Saafir, left us. We share so much history that I can't find the words to express how I feel right now. We surrounded him with our love so he knew how much he meant to us. He can now rest in peace. » Saafir leaves behind an indelible legacy and a huge void in American West Coast hip-hop culture.
The Golden State Project
Reggie Saafir Gibson, you fervent adept gangsta rap was spotted by great figures in music, like Dr. Dre, who described him as « his protégé ». Author of four studio albums, he made his debut in the group Digital Underground, where he had the opportunity to rub shoulders with Tupac Shakur and Shock G.
Saafir – Light Sleeper, produit par Jay-Z
Saafir made his debut in the music industry in 1993 on several tracks from the album The Body-Hat Syndrome by Digital Underground, before appearing on the album Fear Itself from Casual in 1994. Produced by Qwest Records, Saafir collaborated with the Hobo Junction crew for his first solo album, Boxcar Sessions (1994). Subsequently, he will record the album Trigonometry under the pseudonym Mr. No No before returning to his initial artistic identity with The Hit List (1999). However, it was his meeting with Xzibit that would mark a decisive turning point in his career. With Ras Kass, they will form the group Golden State Projectthus gaining great notoriety in the United States.
Beyond music, Saafir also ventured into the world of cinema. In 1993 he appeared in the film Menace to Society and, ten years later, made an appearance in an episode of Experts : Miami.
The injured rap star
Saafir's career was deeply marked by a tragic event: the crash of TWA flight 843 in 1992, linking New York to San Francisco. When evacuating the plane which had caught fire after an aborted takeoff, the musician jumped from the cabin without waiting for the safety slides to deploy and injured his back. The fall led to numerous health complications. In 2013, Shock G, leader of Digital Underground, revealed this situation during an interview, explaining the medical difficulties Saafir had been facing for several years. Despite these trials, the rapper from Oakland continued his artistic journey. In 2006, he released his final project, Good Game: The Transition. This introspective album retraced the major upheavals of his life, notably his spinal tumor and his conversion to Islam.
