Greg Tate, renowned music and cultural critic, passes away at 64

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Greg Tate, an influential writer, hip-hop connoisseur, musician and producer, has died. He was 64.

A representative for the late writer’s publisher Duke University Press confirmed his passing on Tuesday. No cause of death has been disclosed.

Greg Tate : Influential writer

Born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1957, Tate and his family migrated to Washington, D.C., when he was a teenager. He studied journalism and film at Howard University before moving to New York in the early 80s and started contributing to the Village Voice covering hip-hop culture.

Black Rock Coalition

Tate later founded the Black Rock Coalition in 1985 along with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, singer D.K. Dyson and producer Konda Mason.

“The BRC opposes those racist and reactionary forces within the American music industry which undermine and purloin our musical legacy and deny Black artists the expressive freedom and economic rewards that our Caucasian counterparts enjoy as a matter of course,” Tate wrote in the group’s manifesto.

The Black Rock Coalition commented on the news of Tate’s death:

“The Black Rock Coalition is shocked, saddened and absolutely devastated with the news that our brother, friend and co-founder Greg Tate made his transition earlier today. Greg led the wave of Black writers who, without apology, honored the past yet went full speed ahead into the future, giving dap to Black artists across the cultural spectrum who were not getting love within mainstream circles.”

Godfather of Hip Hop journalism

Known as the “Godfather of Hip Hop journalism”, Tate wrote for outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Rolling Stone and Essence during his illustrious career.

He was also the author of four books, including “Flyboy in the Buttermilk,” a 1992 collection of essay about American culture and politics.

In Rolling Stone, author Rob Sheffield described Tate’s monumental impact:

“He was a giant of a cultural critic, hugely inspiring and influential to the heads taking music seriously, making you hear the connections between hip-hop, jazz, rock, the blues, every cry of love under the sun. He treated criticism as an art in itself, and in his hands, it was, because he knew how to do justice to the raptures of listening,” Sheffield wrote.