Musician and composer David Axelrod, who arranged music for many of hip-hop’s most influential artists, has died at age 83.
Axelrod was a producer for artists including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, and Ghostface Killah, among hundreds of others.
“He WAS hip hop,” The Roots drummer Questlove wrote on Instagram, saying that Axelrod “understood and appreciated hip hop culture.”
DJ Shadow, who announced Axelrod's death on Twitter, wrote, “David could be incredibly intimidating, & he did not suffer fools ... but if he liked & respected you, he was the most loyal friend on earth.” Shadow also called him a “bonafide hero to an entire generation of hip-hop kids and musical dreamers.”
Axelrod began as a session musician but transitioned into a producer and arranger for jazz and hip-hop artists from the 1960s onward. Axelrod also released several solo albums, most notably 1969’s "Songs of Experience" and 1970’s "Earth Rot," which have been sampled by many hip-hop artists in the 1990s and 2000s.
His oddest album produced was said to be "Mass in F# Minor" by the Electric Prunes, finishing the album with session musicians when the group broke up mid-recording and releasing it in 1968, Billboard reported.
Axelrod had many ups and downs throughout his decades in the music business, with some of his later albums disappointing him in their reception. His last solo album was a 2001 self-titled production, but his music continues to influence hip-hop artists with its jazz-flavored stylings and will probably do so for many years to come.
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