Report: Reggie Osse, host of "Combat Jack" podcast, is dead at 48
Reggie Osse, the influential host of the "Combat Jack" podcast and a retired lawyer to hip-hop stars, has died at 48, according to The Root. Osse, who also went by Combat Jack, announced that he was battling colon cancer in October.
Osse was known in the 1990s as an attorney who represented Jay-Z, Capone-n-Noreaga and Roc-A-Fella records. Later, he retired from law. Osse worked as an executive at MTV and the managing editor of The Source magazine before he started the influential podcast "The Combat Jack Show" in 2010. Osse tackled hip-hop culture and race on his podcast and interviewed artists on his show and was considered a pioneer for hip-hop podcasts; he called himself the "anti-NPR voice."
In April, Osse narrated an original Spotify podcast called "Mogul: The Life and Death of Chris Lighty," which explored the life of the late music executive who managed Diddy and Missy Elliott. Lighty died in 2012 by apparent suicide. The New Yorker's Sarah Larson named the podcast one of 2017's best.
In October, Osse revealed that he was diagnosed with colon cancer on Twitter, saying that he had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery.
"I'm about to jump on this journey to health with chemo and alternative medicine," he tweeted. "Take care of your health. Your boy aint going nowhere though. We're gonna keep doing this. Keep rocking with us."
For Immediate Release From @Combat_Jack: pic.twitter.com/3QrbJEIVtH
— Combat Jack Show (@CombatJackShow) October 23, 2017
People in the hip-hop community mourned Osse's death on Twitter.
reggie osse was one of the smartest and most helpful ppl i met in this game. he was my listener and i was his. and i hate to know he’s gone. r.i.p., @combat_jack.
— El Flaco (@bomani_jones) December 20, 2017
"Dream them dreams then man-up and live them dreams, because a life without dreams is black and white, and the universe flows in technicolor and surround-sound." - Reggie Osse
— evan auerbach (@evboogie) December 20, 2017
Damn. Rest In Peace Combat Jack. Combat was a living history book for hip hop and was always down to share that information. More importantly, he was kind. We need more of that. And his presence will be missed deeply, but he’ll never be absent.
— brandon / jinx (@Jersey_Jinx) December 20, 2017
Rest in peace Combat Jack.
— Alchemist (@Alchemist) December 20, 2017
My heart is broken. Combat Jack was one of the kindest, most incredible people I knew. I tried to hire him 10x over the years, but he was smart enough to keep building his own empire. I loved that dude...I will really miss him. Thanks Reggie for your mentorship + friendship. RIP pic.twitter.com/XhWv7YaLEh
— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) December 20, 2017
Heartbreaking. RIP Reggie "Combat Jack" Osse. Great man, storyteller and leader. Your contributions to hip hop will never ever be forgotten. Ultimate salute. pic.twitter.com/McK0F9TvYp
— Elliott Wilson (@ElliottWilson) December 20, 2017
Rest In Peace to the Legendary Combat Jack. And thank you for everything.
— Joe Budden (@JoeBudden) December 20, 2017
Rest In Power to my brotha Combat Jack. This brotha had so much love and respect for the culture. He was one of the realest dudes in the broadcast game. ✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/VwObHyytAk
— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) December 20, 2017
RIP Combat Jack, who let us into his family and onto his podcast, who brought donuts to our apartment and carried stories for days. He left the Lil B show screaming "swag!" and saying he'd seen the future. A great laugh, a great mind, a great friend and a better man.
— ItsTheReal (@itsthereal) December 20, 2017
Hip Hop has lost one of its most important historians and voices... we had serious ups and downs but I was so happy we had made things good... Rest In Peace to my friend Combat Jack....
— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) December 20, 2017