MC Breed Passes Away at 36
Bouts with Kidney Problems Lead to the Rapper's Untimely Death
Nov 23, 2008
Born Eric Breed of Flint, Michigan, MC Breed leaves this life after a long rap career that included early success and hits with, among others, 2Pac and Too Short. With the 1991 release MC Breed & DFC, MC Breed was recognized as one of the first Midwest rappers to gain commercial success, according to Tradebit.com. His accomplishments still live as inspiration to residents of his blue-collar hometown.
“Breed was a pioneer for us,” Detroit-rapper Guilty Simpson tells Hiphopdx.com November 23, 2008. “He put music from our region on the map way back. It’s a sad day for not only Flint, but Detroit and hip-hop as a whole. RIP. He’ll be missed.”
Breed’s Beginnings in Rap
MC Breed grew up in a past-its-prime Flint where deindustrialization contributed to rising crime rates during the 80s and 90s, according to the FBI and reported on Answers.com. Yet with a flow and rhythm that successfully melded both popular East Coast grit with West Coast funk, he persevered.
From his debut with rap group DFC came one of his most notable singles Ain’t No Future in Yo’ Frontin’ (listen here) which peeked at #66 in 1991 on The Billboard Hot 100. He then released his first solo album 20 Below in 1992 and followed that up the next year with The New Breed. The 1993 release also saw MC Breed pair up with the late 2pac on Gotta Get Mine (listen here). The track earned the #6 spot on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles list.
“One thing about Breed is he had that flow, that rhythm,” says Carter McWright, owner of Music Planet, in an interview with The Flint Journal November 23, 2008. “He knew how to flow with it.”
MC Breed eventually moved to Atlanta and was not afraid of reshaping his style to align with the times. With production by Warren G and collaborations with Too Short and The D.O.C., MC Breed adopted the popular West Coast, G-Funk sound of the early- and mid-90s. Released in 1995, Big Baller exhibited a new leaning toward the upcoming Dirty South movement.
Breed Passes
For the next 13 years MC Breed churned out album after album, yet none matching his early successes; including a new, to-be-released project Original Breed Slang Heavy that is half-way completed. Regardless, he was much-respected among his peers. “Breed was one of the only cats I knew that reached icon status, but never had a deal with a major label,” says Detroit-rapper Fattfather of Fat Killahz to Hiphopdx.com.
While playing basketball on September 5, 2008, MC Breed collapsed, was hospitalized and placed on life support only to be released a couple days later. Two and a half months later, Allhiphop.com reported that he passed away in his sleep at age 36.
“You know (there are) only two times in your life that people really and truly care for you. The first is when you go to jail,” explains MC Breed in his last interview with publicist and journalist Jonathan Hay. “And the second time is when you’re at that hospital. The third time you won’t be alive to know.”
MC Breed, that final, third time came too soon. You will be missed, but through your music remembered always. RIP.
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