Saafir, the veteran Oakland rapper best known for a famous freestyle battle with Casual, as well as his classic 1994 debut album Boxcar Sessions, has died at the age of 54.
On Tuesday (November 19), Xzibit, a longtime friend and groupmate (in The Golden State Project, along with Ras Kass) of Saafir’s, announced the rapper’s passing in a joint Instagram post with Saafir’s son, a rapper known as Lil Saafir.
“I can’t believe I’m writing this right now, but don’t know what else to do at the moment. Approximately at 8:45am this morning, my brother Reggie known to the world as Saafir passed away,” Xzibit began.
“We have so much history I can’t even explain what I’m feeling right now. We surrounded him and let him know how much we loved him. He can rest now.
“[T]he family really needs to be supported during this time. That’s all I have right now. My soul is crushed. We love you Bro.”
Check out the full post below.
Saafir first came to public notice in the early 1990s with his crew Hobo Junction. He was friends (and at one point roommates) with 2Pac, a connection that led to his appearance in the movie Menace II Society.
Saafir’s 1994 battle with Casual on KKBT’s The Wake Up Show was a seminal moment in Bay Area Hip Hop history. A decade ago, HipHopDX published an oral history of the event, which features interviews with both artists as well as radio hosts Sway and King Tech. It can be read here.
For years prior to his passing, Saafir had been undergoing significant health struggles (which he enumerates in this 2013 interview) and had been confined to a wheelchair. No immediate information on cause of death was available.
Fire
Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
“classic 1994 debut album Boxcar Sessions” lollllllllll at classic smh. Says who? Illmatic, it was written, life after death, ready to die, the score, doggystyle, the chronic, only built 4 cuban linx, enter the 36 chambers are all examples of real CLASSIC albums. Boxcar Sessions is NOWHERE near any of these and is average at best. Clueless culture vultures like Shawn the sheepish slmp Setaro throw the word “classic” around like its the word “the”. Shawn and the rest of the embarrassing, pathetic, non-credible, corny, cringy, slow duncecapD/X shlt staff are the same l0sers who will say uzi vert has a better catalog than Nas. These mfers are the ultimate clueless corny culture vultures. They have no business in any hip hop space ANYWHERE. This whole tr@sh staff should be bagging groceries.
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Rico to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
Man dude, just go f… yourself..
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Another Hipster Exposes Himself to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
You literally just showed yourself as an entry level casual listener of Hip-Hop and this is how I know you’re a hypebeast who doesn’t actually understand Hip-Hop. Between 1993/1994, classic albums like Black Moon – Enta Da Dtage, Organized Konfusion – Stress: The Extinction Agenda, 8Ball and MJG – Coming Out Hard, Masta Ace Incorporated – SlaughtaHouse, Common – Resurrection, UGK – SuperTight, O.C. – Word Life, Pete Rock and CL Smooth – The Main Ingredient came out. Those are all considered Hip-Hop classics. Just because they weren’t highly recognized by mainstream magazines and hipsters and didn’t sell millions of copies, doesn’t make them any less classic. You literally mentioned EVERY ALBUM that went Gold, Platinum, or Multi-Platinum and had major mainstream marketing. Just by the way you mentioned the predictable cliche popular albums of that time shows me that you probably weren’t alive when those albums dropped and you read some lame article from Complex to act like you know what you’re talking about. STFU you damn casual and pay respects to Saafir (R.I.P.)
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Hip Hop Historian not a hipster to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
@Another hipster. I’ve already forgotten more hip hop than you will ever know and AGAIN that boxcar sessions isn’t no “classic” by any stretch and either is most of those albums you ranted about. For the most part the albums you named are all solid albums but definitely not classic status. To call something classic means its stood the test of time for many many years, has basically no skips on it and will be timeless even many years from now. Nobody who knows anything about real hip hop music or who is a historian of hip hop is checking for a Saafir album 20 years from now or even 2 years from now therefore it’s not a “classic”. I didn’t diss Saafir at all. I got respect for the brother and what he did for West Coast rap. I dissed the idiotic buff00n Shawn Setaro for calling his album a “classic”.
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older and wilder to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
Before the bleach is passed to Shawn you need to drink at least half of it and then chase it with ammonia.
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Scarfy’s mom to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
@Another Hipster. Awww you got under the pos’s skin. Good job. Btw this loser is white but loves calling others culture vulture.
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Bernie we all know you’re dumber than dirt but can you at least make all the corny pseudonyms less obvious to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
And speaking of POS white losers….Scarfys mom+older and wilder+the other 20 corny pseudonyms she uses on here (and X and LSA) all equal that delusional mentally unstable basketcase Bernadett Giac0mazzo. Hey Barren Bernie hold up. I thought I was Ms Melly, Britney, Natalie, Jasmine and the other 10 Black women you stupidly thought I was for YEARS 😂😂 Now all of a sudden I’m white? 😂😂 I’ll dig your old dusty ugly ass back up on the 29th and then bury you yet again ⚰
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Scarfy’s mom to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
@ Bernie we all know Don’t do X or LSA. I have a life. And you are the last person who should talk about corny pseudonyms and you really need to stop up voting yourself. Bring it on white boy loser. And no you are not “all of a sudden” white you stupid cocksucker. Go get your stomach pumped again
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Lex to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
F*ck you b*tch! You don’t know sh*t!
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Scarfy’s mom to Shawn Setaro is a certified cornball, culture vulture and H0 M0 who needs to drink a gallon of clorox ASAP
@Lex I’ll just assume that comment is to me.
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mac
I love his flow with the weird rhyme structures. The Boxcar Sessions CD is on my shelf. I’m sorry that he didn’t make the Golden State album with Ras Kass and Xzibit. RIP.
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Curt McGirt
RIP to Saafir, one of the most original and definitely one of the most slept on Emcees to ever do it.
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PACOJEANS1993
RIP BUT HE WAS WACK AS HELL.
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CAC MONEY to PACOJEANS1993
yo you like 45 and still posting ughhhh so you’re the wack one. Rest in peace to an OG who did more than sit in a comment section, holmes washed in a comment section lol saafir was a legend
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Lex to PACOJEANS1993
F*ck you b*tch
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Secret Asian Man
Who? Great news nevertheless 🍾
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R.I.P.
Sadie’s first album was indeed a west coast classic. It came out in an era of unerground hip hop from the Bay Area being super lyrical with heavy jazz production and abstract concepts. You get white casual hip-hop fans really crossed over thanks to Sadie and Del, Souls and people like Fellowship in LA. The next generation of west coast B-Boy shit would have never existed if not for that wave. LA had gangster shit. The bay had pimp shit. Obviously there were standouts here and there. Groups like dilated, Jurassic, and living legends would’ve never existed if it wasn’t for hieroglyphics and hobo Junction. Rest in peace to Saafir. I met this brother on a few occasions and he was always cool as fuck. Y’all motherfuckers talking crazy on a dead man are a bunch of bitches.
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Pooch
It is odd that everytime that someone dies, it is the catalyst to show who the bi#$hes are on this site. They come out of the sh#$ty hole that the reside in and say some bs just to troll. Shawn Setaro, thanks for being this weeks entry. What a douche. He can shut up and not post anything disrespectful on an article about the death of a hip hop artist who contributed significantly to the fabric of the west coast underground, but he shows that he has no restraint to control the inner toxic child that lies inside. It is the reason that there are no positive people in his life. They see it and steer far away from that dude. RIP Saafir That dude said “Ripping up tracks like they were Chinese”. You did sir!
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R.Pgh to Pooch
“ripping up tracks like immigrant chinese” is the line.
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Stro
Didn’t know his music but a legend off Menace II Society Kane cousin. RIP.
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Silent_Partner
He was always close but never got to blow. I thought he’d get it when he hooked up with Ras Kass and Xzibit, but that got stalled too. I know he was in bad health for a while from that back injury on that TWA flight, so rest easy King.
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