An independent Brooklyn rapper and longtime city fighter, KA, has died. He was 52.
The Brooklyn musician, whose birth name is Kaseem Ryan, died unexpectedly on Saturday in New York, according to a statement posted on his social media, Instagram. The post also added that KA was born in Brownsville in 1972, and later on, contributed his services and “lived a life of service — to his city, to his community, and his music.”
The statement, released by his family, read, “lived a life of service — to his city, to his community, and his music.”
The musician, KA, spent 20 years with FDNY as the first responder to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and rising rank of captain at Engine Co. 235 station in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The statement said, “As a 20-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, he put his life on the line to protect his fellow citizens.”
In 2013, in an interview with the media house, Complex, he said, “I have a full-time job, and I work all the time. I try to keep that kinda low. I just have a job. It ain’t my calling or nothing. It’s just my job. But I love my job because it gives me the freedom to do the art. I feel like if I didn’t have a job, that’s when I would have to compromise myself a little bit more.”
An independent artist, KA worked on several singles including The Thief Next to Jesus for which he worked in August.
Additionally, he often collaborated with producer Animoss (as Hermit and the Recluse) and with producer Preservation as Dr. Yen Lo.
The producer and rapper, Alchemist, took to Twitter, to share his regret over the disappointing news. He said, “I always called him a living PROPHET because thats what he was to us. The truest man and artist I have ever been lucky enough to cross paths with. There is so much I want to say. It was an honor to call you a friend and comrade.”
The rapper was survived by his wife, mother, and sister.
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