On December 7th, numerous artists took to Twitter to express condolences in light of the passing of DJ Scholar. As of this writing, there is no cause of death or statement from the family of the deceased.
As a member of U.K. grime crew Ruff Sqwad from 2004-2010, DJ Scholar played a large part in popularizing the genre. The crew formed in 2001 in Bow, East London where they began producing music on cheap home computers.
Alongside Ruff Sqwad members XTC, Sir Spyro, and Tinchy Stryder, DJ Scholar released influential grime mixtapes Guns and Roses Volume 1 and Guns and Roses Volume 2. They are also responsible for the well-regarded album White Label Classics.
Today, the Ruff Sqwad consists of Prince Rapid, Fuda Guy, and Roachee.
Grime artist DJ Jedah paid homage to Scholar on Twitter, writing, “I feel sick to my stomach. To find out my boy Scholar has passed away has destroyed me. Even recently I was speaking to him on the phone near enough every night till the late hours.”
Jedah, a regular host on Pyro radio, also dedicated the first half of his 7:00 PM slot to DJ Scholar.
