Legendary hip-hop visual artist and musician, Rammellzee, has passed away.

Rammellzee was born 1960 in Queens, and made a name for himself on the basis of his graffiti work, based on his own theory of Gothic Futurism and cited as some of the most influential visual work of the afro-futurist canon.

A member of the Death Comet Crew, his music was discovered by a larger audience after appearances in hip-hop films Wild Style and Style Wars. ‘Beat Bop’, his ’83 single with K-Rob, featured in the latter and is considered a particular influence on hip-hop acts throughout the next decade from New York and beyond.

In recent years, Troubleman Unlimited have re-released recordings made by the Death Comet Crew between 1982 and 1984, and in 2004 Rammellzee released his first solo album, Bi-Conicals of the Rammellzee.

The cause of Rammellzee’s death is as yet unknown, but tributes have been pouring in from all quarters of the hip-hop community.