Sadly, Christopher “Fresh Kid Ice” Wong Won, a founding member of the groundbreaking rap group 2 Live Crew and a pioneer for Asian rappers, has died. He was 53.
Former bandmates Luther Campbell and Brother Marquis announced Fresh Kid’s death Thursday. Won died early Thursday in a Miami hospital from health complications. “People we lost a legend,” Campbell said over social media.
Won was born in Port of Spain to Trinidadian and Cantonese parents, and relocated with his family to Brooklyn when he was 12. After graduating high school, he joined the Air Force. While stationed in Riverside, Won and fellow reserve men David “Mr. Mixx” Hobbs and Yuri “Amazing Vee” Vielot formed the rap trio 2 Live Crew.
In 1985, 2 Live Crew released its first single, a bouncy, bass-heavy electro rap number called “The Revelation/2 Live.” Like a number of aspiring acts navigating the L.A. rap scene, 2 Live Crew took the single to Macola Records, a vinyl pressing plant that allowed artists to put their own imprint labels on the recording — Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records was Macola’s most famous client — and sell them independently. Read more at Los Angeles Times.
Hollywood has lost several stars this year, including Chris Cornell, Erin Moran and Greg Allman. Read more to see Us Weekly’s tribute to the celebrities who died in 2017.