Prince Markie Dee, one-third of the groundbreaking 1980s hip-hop group The Fat Boys, died Thursday at age 52. The Brooklyn native, whose legal name was Mark Morales, was also a prolific songwriter later in his career and hosted a radio show on SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells channel. His cause of death has not been released. “Prince Markie Dee was more than a rapper; he was one of my very best and closest friends,” Louis Gregory, the group’s manager, wrote in a tweet. “My heart breaks today because I lost a brother. I’ll always love you Mark and I’ll cherish everything you taught me.” Morales formed the group alongside Damon “Kool Rock-Ski” Wimbley, and Darren “Buff Love” Robinson in 1983. The Fat Boys were known for their beatboxing and comedy in their raps. The Fat Boys starred in two popular films, 1985′s “Krush Groove” and 1987′s “Disorderlies.” “They were figuratively the biggest act in hip hop at some point in time. Like the first act that showed this culture might have some real international legs to it,” Questlove wrote Thursday in an IG post. “They did dope routines and dance steps, albums went gold and platinum. Did movies and tv and commercials.” After the group split in 1991, Morales penned numerous songs, including some of Mary J. Blige’s first hits. He also earned writing credits on albums from Drake, Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, among many others. “As far as our peers are concerned, I think we get a lot of love and recognition,” Morales told Rolling Stone in 2017. “As far as the media though, I think we totally get ignored. … I think people look at Run-D.M.C. and Whodini as hip-hop artists, and they look at us as comedians. I’m not exactly mad at that, because we were trying to make people laugh and feel comfortable with being exactly who they were — fat, skinny, tall, short, gay, whatever. That’s the impression we wanted to leave on the world.” - Daily News. Rest In Peace!
