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Organized Noize member Rico Wade, 52, passed away on Saturday, April 13, from unknown causes. The production group was formed during the 90s and they were known for their work on films such as Set It Off and Miami Vice. Wade's representatives confirmed the unfortunate news while speaking to Billboard.
Killer Mike, a close friend of Wade, also shared an Instagram post in his memory with a black-and-white picture of Rico working inside a studio followed by a group photo. He wrote that he is praying for the entire family, including Wade's wife and kids, and continued:
"I deeply appreciate your acceptance into The Dungeon Family, mentorship, Friendship and Brotherhood. Idk where I would be without ya'll."
The comments section of the post was full of tributes from Wade's colleagues and friends who praised him for his contributions to the world of music throughout his career.
Apart from his wife and sons, Rico's survivors include his mother alongside many brothers and sisters.
Rico Wade was mostly known as the founding member of Organized Noize: Career and other details
Rico Wade was originally a resident of East Point, Georgia where he spent most of his childhood. In the early 1990s, he created the production group with his partners, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown. They produced a lot of successful projects for artists such as Ludacris.
The first successful project of Organized Noize was from Outkast, titled Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. The album broke records in terms of sales and critics also praised the complete soundtrack included inside.
The group continued to collaborate with OutKast on three more albums and this was followed by a project of Big Boi titled Boomiverse. They even released the Organized Noize EP in 2017. The group was also a part of the musical collective 'The Dungeon Family' along with several musical stars and groups such as Purple Ribbon All-Stars and Parental Advisory.
While the production group collaborated with many artists, they even had a lot of films under their credits. The list also included the Netflix documentary titled The Art of Organized Noize. The documentary revealed that Organized Noize even left an impact on the hip-hop industry during the 90s and Rico Wade spent a lot of time at Headland which led to the formation of the group.
Waterfalls, a single released by TLC in 1995, contributed to bringing popularity to Organized Noize and former director of promotions at LaFace Records, Shanti Das, revealed in the documentary:
"Phone calls started flooding in. Everybody wanted to Organize to work on their project, and it just started growing and growing from there."
During the Revolt Summit held in Atlanta in 2019, Rico Wade addressed his inspiration in an interview with HipHopDX, saying that the list was long including Metro Boomin, Mike Will, and many others.
Rico Wade's family and Organized Noize express their grief in separate statements
While social media platforms have been flooded with tributes after the news of Rico Wade's death went viral, his family also shared a statement on April 13, 2023. Furthermore, they requested privacy and described Wade as a "talented individual" who left a positive impact on those who knew him.
In another statement by Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family, Rico was referred to as "one of the most innovative architects in music." They further stated that Wade will always hold a special place in their hearts and continued:
"Rico was the cornerstone of Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family, and we will forever treasure his memory and the moments we shared, creating music as a united team."
As mentioned earlier, Wade's cause of death has not been confirmed yet. He was also active on Instagram with more than 20,000 followers and his posts mostly featured glimpses of the projects he worked on.
