DJ Father Shaheed, Culture Freedom and Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers. (Photo: Google Images)
DJ Father Shaheed, Culture Freedom and Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers.
(Photo: Google Images)

NJ.com is reporting that DJ Father Shaheed, a member of the Trenton hip-hop trio Poor Righteous Teachers (PRT) born Scott Phillips, has died. Amy Kuperinsky of The Star Ledger writes:

“Shaheed, 45, was riding his motorcycle on the Sprain Brook Parkway in New York when another motorcyclist allegedly crashed into a car, causing the car to hit Shaheed, making him crash into a tree.”

Poor Righteous Teachers debuted in the 1990s as a rap group promoting black consciousness informed by the Five Percent Nation. Their infectious beats and creative wordplay separated them from other “conscious” rap groups. While they were not as commercially successful as Public Enemy, X-Clan or Brand Nubian, they were a critical success. They are most widely known for their hit  “Rock Dis Funky Joint,” from their 1990 debut album Holy Intellect. 

PRT released the album Pure Poverty in 1992 which spawned the hit “Easy Star.”

Shaheed is one-third of the group composed of MC Wise Intelligent and Culture Freedom. Wise Intelligent thanked fans for their outpouring of support and paid homage to his partner.

“We were more than just a ‘rap group’ and Shaheed was more than just a member and brilliant DJ/producer. He was a great human being, a loyal friend, a great father, a great brother, a damn good son, and a committed husband.”

Screen Shot 2014-06-04 at 11.29.06 AM

Legendary rap group and PRT contemporaries Public Enemy offered condolences to Shaheed’s family.

Screen Shot 2014-06-04 at 11.33.09 AM

DJ Father Shaheed was 45.

Read more at NJ.com.

Like The Burton Wire on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @TheBurtonWire.

Previous articleRachel Jeantel Graduates: ‘I Did It. I Never Quit.’
Next articleBET’s Hip-Hop Documentary ‘The Message’ Debuts Tonight at 10 p.m.
TheBurtonWire.com is the premiere online destination for people who think for themselves. This blog offers news from the African Diaspora, culture that is produced by often overlooked populations and opinion that is informed and based on fact. Tired of the onslaught of websites and talking heads that regurgitate what people want to hear, TheBurtonWire.com is a publication that elevates news and perspectives that people need to hear. TheBurtonWire.com is for individual thinkers who understand that they are part of a larger collective. What is this collective? Free thinking people that care about the world, who will not be categorized or boxed in by society or culture and are interested in issues and topics that defy stereotypes and conventional wisdom.

1 COMMENT

Comments are closed.