The LA Times is reporting, Matt Dike, the co-founder of rap label Delicious Vinyl has passed away. He was 56.
Although not a household name, Dike helped define underground Los Angeles in the 1980s, according to the LA Times.
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Dike, whose death was announced on Tuesday via the label he co-founded, Delicious Vinyl, produced or co-produced some of the biggest rap hits to come out of the West Coast in the late 1980s, including Tone Loc‘s “Wild Thing” and Young MC‘s “Bust a Move.” Dike was a key figure in the creation of the Beastie Boys‘ seminal 1989 album, “Paul’s Boutique,” and helped define the sample-heavy mash-up style that connected rap, punk, arena rock, pop and disco.
Dike’s death, which was confirmed by Dike’s brother Lane, occurred in mid-January and followed a battle with salivary gland cancer. He was 56.
A singular figure, Dike at various points in his life was artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’s roommate, the producer of Beach Boy Brian Wilson’s only known rap song, and a record, cassette and VHS collector who documented the early New York and Los Angeles art, hip-hop and post-disco scenes.