Young Guru Reveals Bad Boy Producer Chucky Thompson Has Died
Young Guru is mourning the loss of Bad Boy Records producer Chucky Thompson. On Monday (August 9), Guru shared an Instagram photo of himself sitting next to Thompson and poured his grief onto the page.
“There is nothing I can write that will take away this pain,” he wrote. “I have to say RIP to my mentor, my big brother, the man who changed my life forever. You were the kindest person the world has ever seen. You were the most gifted musician I have ever been around. You treated me like family from day one.
“You made a point to the labels that I had to fly to New York with you on every session. You put me in rooms with Biggie. I will forever be in your debt and I will forever be your little brother. This one hurts so bad I can even explain it. RIP @chucklife365 there will never be another you!!!!”
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As a member of Bad Boy Records’ in-house production team, Hitmen, Chucky Thompson has an arsenal of production credits under his belt, including Mary J. Blige’s My Life, The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die and Faith Evans’s Faith.
He also worked with Nas on the 2001 Stillmatic classic “One Mic,” Usher on the 1994 single “Think Of You” and Biggie’s 1994 hit “Big Poppa.” More recently, Thompson worked on the Mary J. Blige song, “Can’t Be Life,” from the soundtrack to the motion picture Body Cam last year.
“Music has always been an escape for me,” Thompson said in an interview earlier this year. “Bad Boy was the hilltop for this to happen for us all. The epitome of expression. This was the reason I was able to carve my own path. Sean ‘Puff Daddy Combs’ was the first Bad Boy producer. I followed his instructions on how he wanted success for his artist and his company.
“I was able to use tools that I acquired being from DC and being a multi instrumental musician. We were expanding Hip Hop and R&B. A lot of new producers are using that formula today.”
A Tribe Called Quest’s Jarobi White, Rapsody, DJ Jazzy Jeff, 9th Wonder and Mike-n-Keys are among the many artists reacting to the news in Young Guru’s comment section, with remarks ranging from confusion to sadness. As of publication time, no cause of death has been revealed.
HipHopDX sends our condolence to all of Chucky Thompson’s loved ones.