Killer Mike pays homage to his late friend and fellow Dungeon Family member Rico Wade with a remix of his Michael standout “Exit 9,” now featuring Offset in addition to Blxst.
While much of the song remains unchanged, Mike reworks a line in his first verse to salute the fallen producer, rapping, “It hurts like hell to say but rest in peace to Rico Wade / He soundtracked the day when me and Slee were serving J.”
Offset also taps into his own recent loss, channeling grief for late Migos bandmate Takeoff along with other family members gone too soon: “Oh, my brother, look in the air, I see an angel done fly,” he intones. “15 years, brother gone, every day momma cry / Grandma died, I wish I could go back and get time.”
Wade was reported dead at the age of 52 earlier this month, with the New York Times printing a statement from the producer’s family. “We are deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of our son, father, husband, and brother Rico Wade. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a talented individual who touched the lives of so many.”
He touched those lives in large part due to his role as the focal point of the Dungeon Family, the Atlanta-based collective that included such pioneering acts as Mike, Future, Goodie Mob, and Outkast. The group’s name was taken from its recording headquarters in Wade’s mother’s basement, where the crew coalesced around a love of hip-hop and soulful, out-of-this-world beats created by Wade’s production trio, Organized Noize.
