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Kent Racker, brother of Gregory Jacobs, professionally known as rapper and producer Shock hugs guests after the funeral service on Saturday, May 1, 2021 in Tampa. [ LUIS...
- Former Times Reporter
- 5 min
Apr 23, 2021 · Shock G, who blended whimsical wordplay with reverence for ’70s funk as leader of the off-kilter Bay Area hip-hop group Digital Underground, has died. He was 57. Nzazi Malonga, a longtime friend who served as head of security and helped manage the group, said the rapper-producer was found unresponsive Thursday in a hotel room in Tampa, Florida.
- The Origins of An Experimental Artist
- Shock G’s Expansive Visual Style
- Tupac’s Caricature in This Is An E.P. Release
- Unseen Artwork and Shock G’s Final Act
Born in New York City and later raised in Tampa, Florida, Shock G grew up drawing, reading comic books and attending comic conventions from an early age. Gregory says that Shock G’s mother, Shirley Kraft, always encouraged her son’s gifts for visual art. “There was never any pushback against it,” he tells me over Zoom. As an adolescent, Shock G’s m...
Shock G’s raunchy humor was on full display on Digital Underground’s canonical 1990 album Sex Packets, which sold over a million copies. And it extended to his visual art from that period, too. He even designed condom wrappers that Tommy Boy Records gave away to promotethe record. “A pamphlet went out to San Francisco strip clubs and peep shows,” M...
As Digital Underground’s heartbeat, Shock G put his playful touch on everything — and often communicated through exaggerated drawings rather than words. “He wasn’t drawing pictures that were realistic. He would accentuate your main features. Huge freckles, big lips,” Money B says. “[He drew] Tupac’s big ol’ nose and rigid cheekbone. Some people too...
There are countless Shock G visuals that the public has never seen: The zany machinations he would invent on the fly while sitting on a tour bus, hanging backstage or out late at night with his crew. A napkin at a burger joint was a canvas to be filled with heartfelt messages for his closest kin. A cardboard box at a party, in his hands, could muta...
May 2, 2021 · Shock G is survived by his mother, Shirley Kraft; father, Edward Racker; brother, Kent Racker; and sister, Elizabeth Racker. Contributing by Ryan Pearson; Associated Press. Digital...
- Pamela Avila
- Trending Editor, Entertainment
Apr 23, 2021 · Shock G, the frontman of pioneering hip-hop group Digital Underground and co-producer of 2Pac's debut album, has died at the age of 57. Born Gregory Jacobs, he was known for...
May 1, 2021 · Brother Kent Racker hugs the casket as pallbearers load the casket of Gregory Jacobs, professionally known as rapper and producer Shock G into the hearse, on Saturday, May 1, 2021 in Tampa.
Apr 23, 2021 · Shock G is survived by his parents; his sister, Elizabeth Racker; and his brother, Kent Racker. Shock G saw music as expansive, inclusive and experimental.
