UTFO member Educated Rapper has passed at the age of 54 according to multiple sources including fellow group member Mix Master Ice.  UTFO were a major rap group in the ’80’s thanks to the success of their single “Roxanne Roxanne” which set off the Roxanne wars after Roxanne Shante responded to their song. Mix Master Ice wrote a tribute to his bandmate on Facebook Friday night as they prayed for his recovery. Educated Rapper had been ill with cancer and not too many more details about his sickness and passing have been released to the public. Chuck D, DJ Premier, Pete Rock and others paid tribute to him on Twitter. Brooklyn’s UTFO dissolved by the early ’90’s but are icons of the Golden Era for being one of the earlier groups to bring hip-hop to the world. They inspired so many answer records with the emergence of “Roxanne Roxanne” and were some of the first breakdancers to appear on national television. Educated Rapper, whose given name is Jeffery Campbell had a final reunion with all the group members at his bedside in the hospital.
