Who was Magoo? Real name and all about the rapper as he reportedly dies aged 50

News of American rapper Magoo a.k.a. Melvin Barcliff's alleged demise on Sunday, August 13, 2023, at the age of 50, has left netizens shocked. Melvin is best known for being part of the hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo. The news was reportedly confirmed by R&B artist Digital Black (Benjamin Bush) of Dru Hill and Playa in an Instagram post shared with the caption:

"Man can't believe this RIH Magoo damn big bro wasn't ready for this all #superfriends"

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Melvin started out experimenting with music when he was just a teenager.

He is remembered for collaborations like Up Jumps da Boogie with Timbaland, Beep Me 911 with Missy Elliott, and Derby City (Interlude) with Playa.

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Magoo's first group was called S.B.I. (Surrounded By Idiots)

In an interview with You Know I Got Soul, Barcliff explained he met his future collaborator, Tim Mosley a.k.a. Timbaland, as a teenager in his hometown of Norfolk through Larry Live.

They were introduced to Pharrell Williams through a common friend and they collaborated as SBI for only a short while. However, eventually, Barcliff and Mosley formed a close bond.

The two got their first break in the music industry as members of DeVante Swing's R&B and hip-hop collective Swing Mob.

A mutual friend, Missy Elliott, introduced the two to DeVante looking to assemble his crew of musicians to sign to his Swing Mob label and collaborate.

In his interview with You Know I Got Soul, the rapper explained that after working with DeVante, he learned to believe in his talent. He described his early days collaborating with fellow musicians who are now big names in the industry and spoke about pulling each other up rather than having a rivalry.

He added that he believed in hard work and never giving up. Speaking about his struggling days, he remarked:

"We didn’t care about the fame. The dream then was hearing yourself on the radio because Michael Jackson was on the radio."

Barcliff and Mosley left Swing Mob and started performing as a duo under Timbaland & Magoo in 1995. They signed with Blackground Records, releasing their debut album Welcome to Our World in 1997 which sold over 1.6 records.

They released their second album, Indecent Proposal, in 2001, and their third Under Construction Part II in 2003. The latter was meant to be a sequel to Missy Elliot's album, Under Construction.

Magoo and Timbaland frequently collaborated with fellow Swing Mob members, including Missy Elliott, Ginuwine, Playa, and Aaliyah, across their careers.

In addition to his role in the hip-hop industry, Magoo was also known for the memorable one-liners in his songs like The bird is the word. He explained that people forget rappers all the time but they would remember the one-liners.

In his conversation with You Know I Got Soul, Barcliff explained that he never got to enjoy his success during his early career as he was busy working and financially struggling.

Additionally, the fame and life in the industry did not let him have time for his family.

"I lived two different lives and being a celebrity wasn’t fun," he stated.

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In August 2021, Blackground Records signed a distribution deal with Empire Distribution to re-release Timbaland & Magoo's albums onto CDs, cassettes, vinyl, and on digital platforms, re-releasing them on August 27.

Melvin Barcliff's cause of death remains unconfirmed. Additionally, there was no word about his funeral or memorial service at the time of writing this article.