“Tame One, the veteran New Jersey underground rapper best-known for his time in ’90s group the Artifacts, has died. NJ.com reports that Tame One died on Sunday night. No official cause of death has been reported. Tame One was 52.
“Tame One was born Rahem Brown in New Jersey, and he’s Redman’s cousin. Tame One got his start as a graffiti writer before forming Artifacts with fellow New Jersey rapper El Da Sensei in the late ’80s.
“In 1994, Artifacts released their debut album Between A Rock And A Hard Place on Atlantic’s Big Beat imprint. It’s an immaculate example of that era of East Coast rap music — neck-jerk boom-bap beats, blustery hooks, tons of personality.
“The album wasn’t a huge commercial success, but it made the album charts and became a cult favorite. Artifacts released one more album, 1997’s That’s Them, and broke up shortly thereafter.”
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