Missy Elliott, Ciara, Questlove and Ludacris were among the artists who paid tribute to New York rapper Fatman Scoop (real name Isaac Freeman III), who died Saturday after collapsing onstage during an Aug. 30 concert in Hamden, Connecticut. He was 53.
“Prayers to the Fatman Scoop family for strength during this difficult time,” tweeted Elliott, who tapped the “Be Faithful” rapper to feature on her 2005 hit “Lose Control” alongside Ciara. “Fatman Scoop’s voice and energy have contributed to so many songs that have made people feel happy and want to dance for over two decades. Your impact is immense and will never be forgotten.”
Ciara, the singer who featured on the song, shared a video of Fatman Scoop performing in the studio while Ciara dances with him; the clip was spliced into the original video for “Lose Control.” Ciara captioned the post, “Rest in peace @FatmanScoop! You were truly one of the best voices in hip-hop! I'm so glad I got to experience your greatness! We will all miss you so much.”
Questlove also paid his respects. The Roots drummer took to Instagram where he began his post “on behalf” of a variety of people, from “all the single ladies who are loud” to “everyone who gets laid after a night at the club,” and “every DJ who needed to add some adrenaline to get the energy up from 3 to way past the 11” among others. He concluded: “I want to thank FATMAN SCOOP for being the embodiment of what hip-hop really was. Just forgetting your problems and living in the moment and letting the joy in. So sad to see you go bro. You will be missed but never forgotten.”
Ludacris thanked the late rapper, publicist, radio and TV personality for his dedication to the craft. “Scoop was one of those people who reminds you what love truly means,” Ludacris wrote on Instagram. “He did, and with his actions, he showed the purest form of passion for hip-hop. Everyone he interacted with felt the love and passion. That’s the kind of legacy we should all carry on from here on out. Thank you Fatman Scoop.”
D-Nice also paid tribute to Fatman Scoop with an Instagram post. He wrote: “I was texting with Scoop the other day after he saw a video of me playing one of his songs at my concert last Friday. He was always so kind to me. This is a huge loss to the culture. My condolences to all his loved ones. RIP Fatman Scoop.”
Fatman Scoop was on stage performing Friday at Town Center Park in Hamden, Connecticut, when he appeared to collapse, according to videos shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. He was taken to the hospital after the incident. His tour manager, Brian “DJ Pure Cold” Michael, announced Freeman’s death Saturday morning. No cause of death was given.
