Hip-Hop Pioneer Reggie 'Combat Jack' Osse Losses His Battle With Colon Cancer

[caption id="attachment_93837" align="aligncenter" width="506"] Photo Credit: Victoria Ford/Sneakshot[/caption]

With all the sincerity I have, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to say, fuck Cancer.  For real. Fuck it. On December 20th, many woke to the news that Reggie Ossé, Combat Jack to many, was no longer with us after a battle with colon cancer.  Combat was a vibrant and passionate lover of hip-hop culture and a veteran of the industry. Starting out as an entertainment lawyer, Reggie was there for the early growing pains of corporate hip-hop and the explosion of the late 80s and early 90s.  Every half-remembered, fourth hand legend you ever heard about your favorite rapper, Reggie was there for it.  That night in Dallas where N.W.A. was discovered by Jerry Heller? Combat was there with there with the DOC.  He saw it all and had been through it all.

Combat was a chronicler of the culture. A digital griot through his many platforms and iterations as a blogger, podcaster, and network owner. Reggie told the story of the culture he loved as a man in his forties with the passion of teenager, defending it to his parents. Recently, Reggie completed work on Mogul, a multi-part examination of the life and untimely death of Chris Lighty. Through Mogul, Combat was able to explore previously taboo issues in the testosterone filled the world of the hip-hop industry and culture, namely mental health and clinical depression. Combat called it his best work to date, and like everything he did, it carries his heart and soul.

Combat will be remembered fondly for his grace and his kindness.  Always willing to share his time, energy and resources with young up and coming media moguls.  His advice of “content, content, content” to folks starting out was something he followed to the letter.  Never missing an episode of his Combat Jack Show until the news of his diagnosis, he will be missed by those that he helped, and those that he touched with is humor, energy, and light.  Like the god, Black Thought said, “This one’s for Combat”. Rest in Power King!

Catch the Count and his drunken cohorts on the Brown Liquor Report wherever podcast are listened to.