After a long bout with lung cancer, emcee and producer Camu Tao passed away early Sunday afternoon. Of course, family and friends are the ones most capable to paint a picture of who that person was, so, rather than focusing solely on this tragedy by myself, I have chosen to include the words of one of Camu’s closest friends and musical collaborators, El-P, to properly portray the impact and importance the life of Camu Tao has had on those who surrounded him. In El-P’s Myspace blog, he writes:

He wore his heart on his sleeve and he dripped creativity, leaving inspiration and awe in the hearts and minds of anyone who was fortunate enough to see him work.

We, his friends and family, have truly had our collective hearts broken by his passing. Not only because of the loss of our friend, but because of the loss of his contribution to those who never knew what we knew about his talent and his potential. He was the secret that no one wanted to keep and we always knew that one day his vision and his heart could change music forever the way he changed all of our lives.

Although the unique artistry of Camu will certainly be missed, through hip-hop music he has provided multiple works guaranteed to withstand the test of time, preserving his talent and, more importantly, his name.

I would like to leave readers with, perhaps, the most bittersweet track of my collection: Camu Tao – “Hold the Floor” produced by DJ Przm. . Unfortunately, both of these talented Columbus, OH natives have passed away within a year of each other. Rest in peace to Tero “Camu Tao” Smith (6/26/77 — 5/25/08) and also to DJ Przm, whose one year anniversary comes next month.

-Lee Reed