What happened to Rico Wade?

Rico Wade was a legendary Atlanta-based producer who made some of hip-hop and R&B’s most recognizable hits in the ’90s.

As part of the Grammy-winning production trio Organized Noise, with Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown, Wade contributed to TLC’s “Waterfalls”, En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go (Love)”, Ludacris’ “Saturday (Oooh! Ooooh!),” and a big portion of Outkast’s discography, especially in the group’s first four albums.

Organized Noise’s recording studio was in Wade’s mother’s basement, nicknamed “Dungeon” by the artists that frequented it. It later lent its name to the hip-hop collective Dungeon Family, which included the likes of Outkast, André 3000, Big Boi, TLC, Future, Big Rube, Goodie Mob (including CeeLo Green), Cool Breeze, Janelle Monae, and others.

What was Rico Wade’s cause of death?

According to a family spokeswoman, Tresa Sanders, Rico Wade died in a hospital of heart failure on April, 13, 2024. He was only 52 years old and left behind his wife Debbie and their children. The family called the death “unexpected.”

The private funeral service, which took place on April 26, was attended by numerous music legends like CeeLo Green, 2 Chainz, and T.I.. The date is curiously also the 30th anniversary of the release of Outkast’s first album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, which Wade co-produced. The band shared the landmark on their social media, stating “Without Rico Wade, there is no Outkast.”

“He may have personified the ‘noise’ in Organized Noize; but he was the organizer of the Noize. The filter. All the Noize went through him and the best came out,” Grammy-winning songwriter Kawan “K.P. The Great” Prather told GPB.

Together with Organized Noize, Wade is credited for contributing to the foundation and rise of Southern hip-hop also known as Dirty South.