Rapper Malik B., a founding member of The Roots, dies at 47

Malik B.
(Image credit: @mpozitolbertphotography via AP)

Malik B., a co-founder of The Roots, has died, the band confirmed on Wednesday. He was 47.

The rapper's cause of death has yet to be announced. In a statement, The Roots' Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter said they wanted Malik B. to be "remembered for his devotion to Islam, his loving brotherhood, and his innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.