The hip-hop community is mourning the loss of rapper and producer DJ Unk, who has died at the age of 43.
The Atlanta-based artist, born Anthony Leonard Platt, rose to fame in the mid-2000s with his contributions to Southern hip hop, particularly within the “crunk” music subgenre.
His wife Sherkita Long-Platt shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook on Friday afternoon, writing: “Respect me and my family. I just lost my husband and my children just lost their father. Our lives will never be the same. I love you forever Anthony. '
DJ Unk's career peaked with his 2006 breakout hit Walk It Out from his debut album Beatin' Down Yo Block.
It also sparked a viral dance craze, with fans adopting the 'Walk It Out' dance.
His cause of death has not been officially confirmed, but TMZ reported that the rapper had been “dealing with unspecified health issues” as early as 2009.
The hip-hop community is mourning the loss of rapper and producer DJ Unk, who has died at the age of 43
The Atlanta-based artist, born Anthony Leonard Platt, rose to fame in the mid-2000s with his contributions to Southern hip hop, particularly within the 'Crunk' music subgenre
After the success of Walk It Out, DJ Unk released his second album, The 69 Boyz (2007), with the hit single 2 -step.
While it didn't achieve the same mainstream success as his debut, it helped solidify DJ Unk's place in the Southern hip-hop scene.
