Digital Underground co-founder Shock G was found dead from an accidental overdose in a Florida hotel room on April 22, marking a tragic end to a legendary life. To honor Shock G’s time on earth, the City of Oakland kicked off a city-wide event on Saturday (August 21) with the late rapper’s friends and family feeding over 2,000 unhoused community members.
But according to a statement from fellow Digital Underground co-founder Chopmaster J, he was banned from the City of Oakland’s Digital Underground Day proclamation ceremonies and his name was scrubbed from a citation awarded to the groundbreaking group declaring Digital Underground Day. He’s now working with the Office of the Mayor’s Chief of Staff and Director of Education to amend the situation.
“I had been informed by the group’s former manager that my presence is not required, nor wanted at the festivities honoring my former partner and friend Shock G and his ingenious musical contributions to the Hip Hop firmament,” he explained in a press release. “This proclamation is a recognition of the group that Shock G and I founded, together. To add insult to injury, my name was removed from a citation that was awarded to the group on Digital Underground Day. This act seems especially mean-spirited and anathema to fairness and the historical record.
Digital Underground Legend Shock G Dead At 57
“This appears to be an act meant to erase and cancel my contribution to the group and to Oakland’s Hip Hop history as the only surviving co-founder of Digital Underground. I am, however, particularly grateful to the Office of the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Shereda Nosakhare and Director of Education, David Silver who are both working to rectify the affront.”
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After dropping six studio albums and introducing the world to a young Tupac Shakur, Digital Underground broke up in 2008 after a fallout between Shock G and Chopmaster J. Despite the rift, they reportedly always considered themselves “brothers.”
Chopmaster J wants his name to be included on the Oakland proclamation, so that Digital Underground’s historical origins are “properly recorded for posterity as he is the legitimate co-founder of the group.”
In the meantime, he’s promoting his son SOTU’s new group, D.U.Nx.G. (D.U. Next Generation) and their new album, single and video “Evolution,” which arrived on Wednesday (August 25), Digital Underground Day and what would have been Shock G’s 58th birthday.
Check out the visual below.
