Recommendations of the Editorial team
Rob Base, who was best known for the hit song “It Takes Two,” died on Friday, May 22, after a battle with cancer. He was 59 years old.
The news of his death was spread via his official Instagram account. “Rob’s music, energy and legacy shaped a generation and brought joy to millions around the world. Off stage, he was a loving father, family man, friend and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten,” the statement said. “Thank you for the music, the memories and the moments that became the soundtrack of our lives.”
Base was one half of the duo Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock. DJ EZ Rock died in 2014 as a result of diabetes.
“It Takes Two” – a mega hit
The duo released their first single “DJ Interview” in 1986, but it was their mega hit “It Takes Two” from 1988 that catapulted them into the hip-hop Olympus. The song, built around a vocal sample from Lyn Collins’ 1972 hit “Think (About It),” combined hip-hop and house music and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Songs chart.
Her single “Get on the Dance Floor” later even topped the same chart. “It Takes Two” influenced entire generations of musicians – Snoop Dogg, Gang Starr, Girl Talk, 2NE1 and many other artists sampled the rousing track. The song’s cultural influence extended far beyond music: it was heard in the 2004 video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” appeared in a scene in Sandra Bullock’s 2009 romantic comedy “The Proposal,” and was heard in 2001’s “Iron Man.”
“Irresistible smash hit”
The song made Questlove’s Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs of All Time for ROLLING STONE and is ranked No. 24 on RS’s list of Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time. “Base and DJ EZ Rock’s irresistible 1988 smash hit was a pop-rap milestone and an anthem of understanding and respect that brought people together under one groove,” reads the track’s review. “The song was produced by Teddy Riley, who used a similar bouncy syncopation as the king of New Jack Swing.”
Rob Base was born Robert Ginyard on May 18, 1967. He and EZ Rock were childhood friends who met in fourth grade and grew up in Harlem. They were inspired by a local group called Crash Crew. “We always watched them and looked up to them. We said to ourselves: ‘This is something we want to do too.’ Seven of us formed a group; “A lot of people didn’t take it seriously, but he and I did,” Base told Rolling Stone in 2014.
Breakthrough with Profile Records
After releasing “DJ Interview” and “Make It Hot,” the duo signed with Profile Records. There it released its debut album “It Takes Two”. The title track and the album itself caused a sensation in clubs and charts. The album peaked at number four on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It included other singles such as “Get on the Dance Floor” and “Joy and Pain”.
“On ‘It Takes Two,’ we were at a friend’s house just going through records. We had to go into the studio that same night and had nothing prepared, but we found the Lyn Collins sample and liked it straight away – and then we went into the studio,” Base continued. “We never thought it would be this big. We thought it would be what they called a ‘tri-state area’ song back then.”
In 1989, Base released his solo album “The Incredible Base”. They reunioned with EZ Rock in 1994 with the album “Break of Dawn”.
Most recently active on stage
Base performed until recently, including on the I Love the 90’s Tour. Appearances at the Pass the Mic Live at the Hard Rock Hotel in Atlantic City and on the Rock the Bells cruise were planned for this year.
