Dungeon Family co-founder Rico Wade’s legacy is set to live on through a new program announced by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during the legendary producer’s funeral.
On Friday (April 27), Atlanta luminaries gathered at Ebenezer Baptist Church for Wade’s funeral service. During the emotional star-studded ceremony, Dickens announced the launch of the Rico Wade Music Executive Training Program, a new initiative by the City Of Atlanta’s Office of Film, Entertainment and Nightlife.
AD LOADING...
According to the mayor, the program will serve as a conduit allowing aspiring music business professionals to learn from experienced instructors and established “music executives like the 500 hundred or so gathered in this room,” Dickens quipped from the church’s podium.
While the number was an intentional exaggeration, Rico Wade’s funeral was attended by quite a few industry execs, including LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid; Chris Hicks, Chief Innovation Officer of Quality Control Holdings; former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam; Catherine Brewton, Vice President of Creative at BMI; Orlando McGhee, Head of Urban at ONErpm’; and Sylvia Rhone, chair and CEO of Epic Records.
AD LOADING...
While he did not offer additional details about the program, Mayor Dickens explained that the goal was to continue Wade’s legacy of sharing knowledge with any and everyone he would encounter.
“Rico left an indelible mark on music and culture around the world and for that, the South will always have something to say,” Dickens closed out his address to the crowd, echoing a statement released by his office following Wade’s death.
AD LOADING...
In addition to Dickens, Atlanta City Councilwoman Marci Overstreet was also on hand to deliver a proclamation designating April 26 as Rico Wade Day in his hometown.
The two Atlanta officials were not the only politicians on hand, as former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed eulogized the producer, and Senator Raphael Warnock – who is also the pastor at Ebenezer – presided over the service.
The mourners who gathered to pay their final respects to Wade were a who’s who of Atlanta Hip Hop, including both members of Outkast, all four members of Goodie Mobb, T.I., 2 Chainz, and more.
Rico Wade passed away on April 13 at the age of 52. A pioneer of Atlanta’s Hip Hop scene, he co-founded the Dungeon Family, collective of rappers and producers who were considered pioneers of Southern Hip Hop. Consisting of the likes of OutKast, the Goodie Mob, and Killer Mike (as part of the so-called “second generation” of the Dungeon Family), the crew got its name from Wade’s recording studio, which was known as “The Dungeon,” which is where most of the now-legendary records were recorded.
In addition to his production work on the Dungeon Family’s collection of albums, the producer (real name Rico Renard Wade) was also behind the boards for some super-smash R&B hits, including En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go (Love)” and TLC’s “Waterfalls.” He was one-third of the production collective Organized Noize, which also included Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown.
AD LOADING...
He is survived by his wife Debbie Wade, and his two children from a previous relationship, Rico Wade II and Ryder Wade.
