This is sad news ... Hip-Hop just lost a good man; one of our culture's most important voices, listeners and pioneers in new media. I'm not the right person to properly discuss his background in entertainment law, or how he came up; I wanna defer to his close friends and those more knowledgable for that. I can only say that he was a forward-thinker; humble and always encouraging, and I've never met someone with a bad word to say about him. It seemed like everyone knew Reggie and the conversations were always positive and uplifting - some point in their lives where he dropped a gem on 'em. Hanging out up at PNC Studios in Brooklyn a lot, we crossed paths a bunch; my close friend Justin had a show on the station also and their interviews were both always very insightful, so I think of them both often. Justin, or The Company Man as many of you know him, was also forward-thinking and heavy into new media; it's no surprise both of these gentleman found ways to curate a slice of the culture that has been consumed by millions of people. Some years back I found myself breaking up a fight on the train to work at Fat Beats and the screen on my phone broke. I headed over to the Verizon store and got a new phone, but they weren't able to transfer over my numbers, so I sent an e-mail to my friends and peers asking them to send me their info to get back up and running. All these years later, Combat Jack's is one of only two messages I still remember because he really encouraged me to reach out more, and that humbled me. I guess in times like this, these are the things we think about, so I really look forward to the culture showing love and sharing a lot of small stories of their own random experiences with Combat Jack. Hip-Hop, as a whole, will remember him in his rightful place as a pioneer, and if we ever get a home for Hip-Hop memories and nostalgia, there will be a proud spot for him, no question! He kept it positive - even in his final days, so my heart deeply goes out to his loved ones, and I send my deepest condolences to them. Rest In Peace, Reggie Ossé. We mourn collectively as a culture.
