‘Fat Boys’ Rapper, Prince Markie Dee, Dies At 52

Rapper Prince Markie Dee’s death was announced on Thursday by the SiriusXM radio station Rock The Bells. The rapper was 52. A cause of death was not given.

Dee was the found member of  the popular 1980s rap and beatbox group, Fat Boys. Their debut album, released in 1984, went gold and their following two albums sold millions of copies. The group was responsible for the hit songs “Jailhouse Rap,” “Stick ’Em” and “Can You Feel It.” Their biggest album, Crushin, went platinum.  The group was also featured in the films Krush Groove and Disorderlies.

Dee, whose real name was Anthony Morales, was born on Feb. 19 1968. In the 1980s, he formed the Disco 3 with Darren ‘the Human Beat Box’ Robinson and Damon ‘Kool Rock Ski’ Wimbley, two of his friends from Brooklyn.

The trio won a talent show in 1983 at Radio City Music Hall and were signed to a management contract by the show’s promoter. They then changed their name to the iconic title, Fat Boys.

The group released seven albums, three of them going gold. They were known for their relaxed, upbeat style and humor, especially about their weight. The group broke up in the early 90s. Robinson died in 1995 at age 28 after falling and losing consciousness.

Dee formed his own band in 1993, called Prince Markie Dee & The Soul Convention. He released a pair of solo albums at this time, including the hit single “Typical Reasons (Swing My Way).”

He also worked as a producer and writer for Uptown Records, working with artists such as Father MC and Mary J. Blige.

Later in his career, Dee became a radio personality on WMIB-FM and WEDR-FM in Miami and on SiriusXM.

“Prince Markie Dee was more than a rapper,” the manager of the Fat Boys, Louis Gregory, wrote on Twitter. “He was one of my very best and closest friends. My heart breaks today because I lost a brother.”

“I would be walking and all of a sudden I would hear music ricochet off the walls,” the rapper Fat Joe wrote on Instagram. “huh huh huh ha huh” — was “the first song they would play at the block party to summon you to appear.”