Double K, a member of the hip-hop duo People Under the Stairs, has died at home in Los Angeles aged 43. No cause of death has been announced.
Chuck D of Public Enemy was among those paying tribute, saying Double K, AKA Michael Turner, was “a great young man, dedicated to the craft. Gone too soon.
Turner and his People Under the Stairs partner Thes One, aka Christopher Portugal, grew up in Los Angeles and released their debut album The Next Step in 1998. Their easygoing, jazzy sound stood apart from flashier mainstream rap styles, and they built a cult following, as well as touring internationally. Double K cited a 2001 Glastonbury festival performance as a key moment, “seeing people sing along in the crowd to words. That was like ‘Whoa, they actually listen to the music instead of just thinking there are dudes up there just rapping.’”
With Double K describing them as “the bare bones of hip-hop: DJing, MCing … we’re a funk band,” their underground appeal continued, winning a prominent fan in chart-topping US rapper Mac Miller who invited them to support him on tour and sampled them on his track People Under the Stairs. The duo released 10 studio albums, including 2002’s OST and 2006’s Stepfather, until they retired in 2019 after 21 years.
Other tributes were paid by rappers Immortal Technique and Open Mike Eagle, and producers Dâm-Funk and Tokimonsta.
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