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The MC from the Bay Area rap group Zion I, popularly known as Baba Zumbi, has passed away aged . KQED, a Bay Area radio station, spoke to Zumbi’s family and announced the death of the legendary hip-hop singer, whose real name is Steve Gaines.
The statement read:
“It is with utter disbelief and great sadness that the Gaines family shares the news of the passing of Steve “Zumbi” Gaines on Friday, August 13, 2021. Gaines, 49 and the MC of the critically acclaimed hip-hop group Zion I, passed away at Alta Bates Hospital today in the early morning from unknown causes. The family requests privacy in this very challenging time while they await further details.”
Although the statement read that the acclaimed musician passed away from “unknown causes,” sources close to Zumbi claimed he had tested positive for Covid 19. According to HIPHOPDX, a text from DJ True Justice read that Zumbi suffered an asthma attack while in the hospital, which he did not recover from.
He is survived by his mother, brother, and his three sons.
After an extended six-year hiatus, Baba Zumbi was working on a Zion I reunion tour with long-time producers Amp Live. The hip-hop group was performing in remembrance of their 2001 album Mind Over Matter.
They had booked several dates for their 20th-anniversary tour, which was to take off on October 1 in Washington D.C.
Tributes pour in for Baba Zumbi after announcement of his death
Zion I came into being in 2000 after Steve Gaines and DJ-producer Amp Live came together. The group released seven albums over the next decade.
Baba Zumbi was acclaimed for introducing a spiritual approach into hip-hop which was seen in Zion I’s debut album, Mind Over Matter.
The group was known for blending several styles and exploring their creativity, seen in 2008’s The Take Over album.
Baba Zumbi also sang about several social issues in his music. In 2016, the singer became a victim of the Bay Area housing crisis, which led to him getting evicted from his Oakland home. The singer had filmed the song Tech $ inside his home as his family was packing their lives into moving boxes.
Zumbi had loved that Bay Area so much that he wrote The Bay as an ode to the region.
