Chicago Sun Times
Per StereoGum:
Chicago footwork pioneer Rashad Harden, aka DJ Rashad, is dead. Tweets from friends and collaborators DJ Godfather, DJ Spinn, and Chance The Rapper confirmed Harden’s death.
According to The Chicago Sun-Times, he was found dead today on Chicago’s West Side with drugs and drug paraphernalia found nearby; police suspect a drug overdose. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday. An official statement will be released Monday morning according to Harden’s publicist.
Harden got his start in the Chicago music scene as a member of dance troupes during his high school years then moved on to spinning records at parties. As a DJ he helped to develop footwork, a style of house music oriented around dance battles that evolved from juke to include skittering, chopped-up beats and walls of noise. As the most prominent member of the Teklife crew, he became a global ambassador for the footwork genre. His most recent album, 2013′s Double Cup, was released on the influential British label Hyperdub, representing a bridge between US and UK bass music.
Harden is survived by a son, Chad, age 9. He was 35. R.I.P.
Rashad’s EP We On 1 was set to drop this Monday. You can stream it below
Source: Stereogum
