Kaseem Ryan, better known by his stage name Ka, has died at the age of 52.
The news has been confirmed by a post on his official Instagram page without any further details about the cause of death.
The post said "he died unexpectedly" in New York City in October.
The beloved independent rapper and a New York City Fire Department captain was raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
The artist was recognized in the music industry genre by his soft, deliberate manner of speaking and minimalistic bits.
Ka was also a well-known figure in the community, where he contributed over 20 years of loyal service as a firefighter. He was one of the first responders to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Before starting his career as a music artist, he was a poet and creator of claustrophobic, eerie, and highly personal poems centered around the idea of surviving them together with the author.
He employed the same kind of deep emotional input in his music, as Ka released 11 solo albums, all self-released alongside his own label, Iron Works, which was the title of his debut album, apart from the latest one, The Thief Next to Jesus, that he dropped in August 2024.
In his interview for Rolling Stone in 2016, Ka shared with the audience that he is not attempting to create a beat that he could hear from a car passing by on the street. Instead, his mission as an artist is to craft a line that makes you want to listen to the record over and over again.
"That's me being a writer, growing up and being like, 'Did you hear what I said?' and seeing people zoned out on the beat — 'This beat is fire.' I used to get jealous: The beat ain't better than me!" he said.
The rap artist is survived by his wife, mother, and sister. The statement to announce his death called him an extraordinary musician and asked to respect the privacy of the singer's family in these sad times.
His friends, colleagues, and admirers keep expressing their condolences and shock all over social media.
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