Chucky Thompson, the prolific producer behind classic hip-hop and R&B hits of the 1990s, has died after a reported battle with COVID-19. He was 53.
Close friends and associates shared their sympathies and condolences about the loss of the Grammy-nominated producer, who helmed Mary J. Blige’s seminal “My Life” opus, and hits such as The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa,” Faith Evans’ “You Used to Love Me,” and Nas’ classic track “One Mic.”
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“It is with a very heavy heart that I can confirm the passing of Chucky Thompson,” publicist Tamar Juda said in a statement on Twitter. “To anyone in his orbit, you know how generous he was with his energy, creativity and love. Both the music industry and the world has lost a titan.”
On Monday, singer Big Bub was one of the first to break the news of Thompson’s death in a heartfelt video
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“Rest in peace to my brother Chucky Thompson, this sh– hurts man,” the former Today frontman said to the camera. “For those who don’t know, Chucky Thompson passed away.”
Hip hop website AllHipHop.com reported that the Washington D.C native born Carl E. Thompson died after a COVID-19 battle.
In another post, Big Bub — whose real name is Fred L Drakeford — included an image of Thompson with the caption: “We made history together. You was a Anointed producer. We talked almost every other day. My brother from “DC” . Your contribution to the music industry will live forever.. FAREWELL KING CHUCKI THOMPSON.”
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Both artists, who were close friends and were heavily affiliated with Sean “Diddy” Combs during his Uptown Records and Bad Boy Entertainment heyday of the 1990s, were prominently featured on the recently released Amazon Prime Video documentary “Mary J. Blige’s My Life,” which celebrated the influential singer/songwriter’s 1994 album.
“This ‘My Life’ documentary is a glimpse into that vibe that moved R&B music forever,” Thompson told Essence magazine in June.
Thompson was a founding member of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment’s “Hitmen,” a team of in-house producers which also included Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie, Ron “Amen-Ra” Lawrence, Nashiem Myrick, Mario Winans, Harve Pierre, Rashad “Tumblin’ Dice” Smith.
The Washington D.C. native, who got his start playing congas in go-go music legend Chuck Brown’s band, The Soul Searchers, also produced songs for Tevin Campbell, New Edition, TLC, Busta Rhymes and Jennifer Lopez.
Most recently, he reportedly was tapped to produce tracks on Diddy’s upcoming album “Off The Grid Volume 1,” scheduled to be released this fall — marking the hip-hop mogul’s first full length album in 11 years.
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“He is Mr. Multitask… and that type of [work] ethic is the reason why he has the things happening that he has,” Thompson described Diddy’s work ethic during a July 7 interview with Radio Andy’s Bevy Smith. “You know, it’s one thing is to have an idea, the whole other thing is to get it executed, and getting it done at the best level it can be. He taught us all how to get that hustle going.”
Earlier this year, Thompson composed music for the History channel documentary “Tuskegee Airmen: Legacy of Courage” and was working to complete “Chucky Thompson Presents D.C. Go-Go,” about the music genre that was designated as the official sound of Washington D.C. in 2020.