Rico Wade, Key Outkast Producer, Dies at 52

Rico Wade, a member of the pioneering Atlanta-based production trio Organized Noize and a crucial early collaborator with Outkast, has passed away at the age of 52.

Hi death was confirmed by an Instagram post by his close friend Killer Mike and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on April 13, 2024. No cause of death was provided.

“I don’t have the words to express my deep and profound sense of loss,” Killer Mike wrote. “I am praying for your wife and children. I am praying for the Wade family. I am praying for us all. I deeply appreciate your acceptance into the Dungeon Family, mentorship, friendship and brotherhood. Idk where I would be without y’all.”

Wade, along with Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown, formed the Organized Noize songwriting-production team in the early ‘90s, which played a vital role in early releases by Outkast, TLC, Goodie Mob, and many others.

Their sound, influenced by classic R&B as well as hip-hop, helped shape Atlanta’s burgeoning hip-hop scene of the era, laying the groundwork for the city’s dominance in the genre in the years to come.

The collective, known as the “Dungeon Family,” included not only Outkast but also Killer Mike and Big Rube.

Wade’s studio, “the Dungeon,” located in Atlanta’s East Point neighborhood, was not just where many hits of the era were born but also featured in them. Outkast famously referenced it in their 1994 debut album, rapping “We havin’ a smokeout in the Dungeon with the mary jane” on “Ain’t No Thang.”

Details about survivors were not immediately available, although Wade is related to rapper Future.