Veteran Bronx, N.Y., rapper Tim Dog has passed away at 46 years old.
It is being reported that the rhymer born Timothy Blair died from a seizure following his lengthy battle with diabetes. There are few details currently available regarding exactly what happened, but fellow hip-hop notables such as Pete Rock and Vinnie Paz expressed sadness and condolences after the news was confirmed.
Tim Dog first came to prominence via collaborations with the groundbreaking Ultramagnetic MCs in the late ’80s, but became infamous in 1990 after he released the scathing regional diss record “F–k Compton,” which took aim at West Coast rappers N.W.A. The song is often cited as the first recorded evidence of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry that would eventually dominate hip-hop media during the mid-1990s in the wake of the emergence of the Los Angeles-based Death Row Records and New York’s Bad Boy Entertainment.
Tim Dog released his solo debut “Penicillin on Wax,” in 1991, and was heavily derided by L.A.-based rappers like DJ Qwik, Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg and Compton’s Most Wanted for his disrespect of their hometown of Compton, Calif.
Later in his career, he reteamed with former Ultramagnetic MCs member Kool Keith. As “Ultra,” they released Big Time in 1996.
Blair pleaded guilty to grand larceny in September 2011, after he was accused of defrauding a woman out of thousands. The case was featured on “Dateline NBC” and the rapper was discovered to have caused the woman to accrue $32,000 in credit card debt after the two had begun an online relationship and he convinced her that he needed investors for a new album.
His last album release was 2006’s BX Warrior.
–stereo williams
