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20th Dec 2017

Hip Hop icon Reggie Ossé aka Combat Jack passes away at 48

The famous podcaster and former lawyer to Jay-Z and Diddy dies from colon cancer

Will Lavin

It’s a sad day for Hip Hop.

Succumbing to his battle with colon cancer, Hip Hop personality Combat Jack (real name Reggie Ossé) has died today at the age of 48.

Host of popular podcast the Combat Jack Show, he was an original Hip Hop icon. With many strings to his bow he was a pioneer in so many fields. Whether it was his time working as a lawyer representing the likes of Jay-Z, Diddy and Capone-N-Noreaga, or when he decided to start his genre-defining podcast that took an in-depth look into the lives of musicians, politicians, artists, actors and more – which in turn ushered in a new era of Hip Hop podcasts – Reggie Ossé was an incredibly well respected social commentator and Hip Hop historian.

The lawyer, turned podcaster, announced his diagnosis in October via Twitter:

“Internets, what’s up? It’s your man Combat Jack. In 7 years of podcasting, I’ve never missed an episode. I got hit with some real life shit. I was recently diagnosed with Colon Cancer,” he said.

Recording his first ever live in London episode of the Combat Jack Show back in 2016 when he was joined by special guest Kano at the Brooklyn Bowl, he made quite the impression. Going out of his way to learn more about the ever-growing grime scene and actively making it his mission to promote grime Stateside, so many gems came out of his intimate sit down with one of the UK’s most respected MCs.

Listen to the Kano episode of the Combat Jack Show below:

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Reggie’s family, his children and his friends. Hip Hop has lost one of its limbs. He’s the guy that connected the dots for many people. He changed the podcast game forever and for that we will be eternally grateful.

#RIPCombatJack