Digital Underground frontman Shock G died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, methamphetamine and alcohol, according to an initial report from the medical examiner in Florida’s Hillsborough County.
According to the report obtained by Billboard, Shock G was last seen alive at a hotel in Tampa, Florida. He was found unresponsive April 22 by the hotel manager, who checked in on the rapper after he missed his checkout time. Shock G (real name: Gregory Jacobs) was pronounced dead at the hospital that day.
A spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner tells Billboard that the final autopsy is not yet completed.
Digital Underground was best known for their 1990 hit “The Humpty Dance,” and Shock G was front and center for the song’s MTV-favorite video as his alter ego Humpty Hump. The group was formed in Oakland, Calif., in 1987 by Shock G, Chopmaster J and Kenny-K, and the collective included a revolving door of more than three dozen members over its almost three decades of activity — including some of the earliest recordings from a young Tupac Shakur.
The group had four top 40-charting hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, including the top 10 smash “The Humpty Dance,” which also spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart in 1990 and peaked at No. 11 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. The song also garnered a Grammy nomination for best rap performance by a duo or group. “The Humpty Dance” was one of two top 20-charting hits on the Dance Club Songs chart, alongside 1991’s “Same Song.” The latter track housed an early appearance of 2Pac on a commercial recording, as he raps the final verse on the track. He’s introduced in the previous verse by Shock G, who raps “2Pac, go ahead and rock this.”
The group also placed six entries on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, including a pair of top 10s: 1990s Sex Packets and 1991’s This Is an E.P. Release.
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