Rob Base, ‘It Takes Two’ Rapper, Has Died at 59

Rob Base, the Harlem rapper whose 1988 single “It Takes Two” became a permanent fixture in pop culture, died on May 22. He was 59. A message on his Instagram account confirmed he passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, after a private battle with cancer. The death came just days after his birthday.

“It Takes Two” arrived via Profile Records, built around a break from James Brown and Lyn Collins’ “Think (About It).” The song’s opening declaration—“I wanna rock right now / I’m Rob Base, and I came to get down”—announced him immediately. It peaked at #36 on the pop chart and #3 on the dance chart, went platinum, and never quite left the picture. The record has anchored film soundtracks, TV scenes, and decades of sample flipbooks. It is part of the foundation of pop, not