In Memoriam : UTFO rapper Kangol Kid

Kangol Kid, a member of the Brooklyn hip-hop group UTFO whose 1984 song “Roxanne, Roxanne” sparked a legendary rap rivalry, has died. HipHopDX confirmed the news.

Kangol Kid’s cancer diagnosis

Born Shaun Fequiere, Kangol Kid’s death comes after he revealed he was battling stage 4 colon cancer; he was first diagnosed in February 2021.

In late November, the rapper shared a photo of his fellow rapper LL Cool J visiting him at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, where he recently underwent surgery.

“Please forgive me for not returning calls and more,” Kangol Kid wrote at the time. “Things have become, and are becoming a little more difficult than imagined. I’ve been admitted again for complications related to my condition. Thank you to those who have been instrumental in my latest ordeal. Your actions have been well received and greatly appreciated. I am blessed to have you by my side through this. I love you all.”

LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells fest tweeted, “Hip-Hop lost a legend today with the transitioning of [Kangol Kid] but his legacy will forever serve as a source of inspiration, courage, and love. Rock The Bells sends our deepest condolences to all of his family and loved ones.”

UTFO

The hip-hop group UTFO is best known for their 1984 single “Roxanne, Roxanne,” with the Kangol Kid delivering the first verse in what soon after launched “The Roxanne Wars,” a series of answer songs headlined by Marley Marl’s then-14-year-old protégé Roxanne Shante.

Kangol Kid’s courageous battle

In a March interview with Pix11 News, Kangol said he was feeling better after his initial surgery, which required 10 centimeters of his colon to be removed.

“I didn’t believe it,” he said of his diagnosis. “That’s the last thing you want to hear. … when those words were said to me, I fell out inside. I stood up after awhile, spoke to my friends who kept my spirits up through all of this and my mentality just changed, like, ‘You gotta fight this.’”

Kangol Kid was just 55 years old at the time of his death.