It Takes Two's Rob Base dies aged 59 after cancer battle

Rob Base, one half of the iconic hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, has died aged 59, surrounded by his family.

The rapper, real name Robert Ginyard, had privately been battling cancer, his family confirmed in a statement posted to his official Instagram account.

He passed away on Friday, just days after celebrating his birthday.

"Rob's music, energy, and legacy helped shape a generation and brought joy to millions around the world," the statement read, describing him as "a loving father, family man, friend, and creative force whose impact will never be forgotten."

Rob Base is best remembered for It Takes Two, the 1988 hip-hop anthem he created alongside his musical partner DJ E-Z Rock. The track is widely credited with helping bring hip-hop into the mainstream, crossing over from the block to dance clubs and pop charts at a time when the genre was still fighting for mainstream recognition.

What makes the track's origin story all the more iconic is how casually it all pulled together.

In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, Base recalled the night the duo wrote it.

"With It Takes Two, we were at a friend's house, and we were just going through a bunch of records," he said. "We had to go to the studio that night and we didn't have anything prepared, but we found and liked the Lyn Collins sample that night and went to the studio."

A last-minute session with one sample that would create one of the most recognisable tracks in hip-hop history.

Who has sampled It Takes Two?

Few tracks from the late '80s have had as long a cultural afterlife as It Takes Two. The song has been sampled by Snoop Dogg and the Black Eyed Peas, and introduced to entirely new audiences through its prominent role in the 2009 Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds rom-com The Proposal.

It also appeared in Grand Theft Auto in 2004, cementing its place across generations of pop culture.

Tragically, Rob Base is now the second member of the duo to pass. DJ E-Z Rock, real name Rodney Bryce, died in 2014 from diabetes complications, aged 56.

He never got to see the full extent of how far their creation would travel.