Reggie Ossé, known to many as Combat Jack, has died after a battle with colon cancer, according to various sources. The respected podcast host and hip-hop historian revealed his cancer diagnosis back in late October, and had been posting updates throughout the fight. He was 53.
Hip-hop personalities and peers immediately expressed their condolences after news of Combat Jack’s death made waves around social media.
Hip Hop has lost one of its most important historians and voices… we had serious ups and downs but I was so happy we had made things good… Rest In Peace to my friend Combat Jack….
— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) December 20, 2017
Rest in peace Combat Jack.
— Alchemist Type Beat (@Alchemist) December 20, 2017
reggie osse was one of the smartest and most helpful ppl i met in this game. he was my listener and i was his. and i hate to know he’s gone. r.i.p., @combat_jack.
— bomani (@bomani_jones) December 20, 2017
Combat Jack spent the ’90s as a music attorney, notably for Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella records. He soon made the move to editorial work and became a managing editor for The Source. In 2010, he started The Combat Jack Show, a podcast that earned acclaim and a wide listenership thanks to its in-depth discussions and Ossé’s encyclopedic knowledge of hip-hop culture. It’s considered one of the earliest examples of the medium’s potential for hip-hop storytelling and discussion, which eventually bloomed into its own industry, birthing stars like Taxstone and giving new life to old rappers like N.O.R.E. and Joe Budden, who parlayed his podcast into the viral YouTube show Everyday Struggle.
This year, Combat Jack narrated Mogul: The Life and Death of Chris Lighty, a biographical account of the late music executive that was recently named 2017’s best podcasts by New Yorker.