Apache, the New Jersey-bred rapper who blazed the rap charts in the early 1990s with the profane b-boy anthem ‘Gangsta Bitch,’ has reportedly died.
AllHipHop.com reports that Anthony [P]eaks – his legal name – passed away Jan. 22 after a protracted illness.
Signed to Tommy Boy Records and managed through Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit, Apache first was original in the group, Flavor Unit, with Latifah.
As a solo artist, he was one of the first acts who broke out of the Northern New Jersey hip hop scene.His debut album, ‘Apache Ain’t S@#%’ was released in 1991 and peaked at #66 on the Billboard 200 and #15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The opus yielded his one and only hit song, ‘Gangsta Bitch,’ which went to #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot Rap Singles. The single ‘Do Fa Self’ was released in 1993 but didn’t ignite the same spark that the first single did.
“Without Apache there would have been no Queen Latifah, no Naughty By Nature, no Chill Rob G., no anything,” Flavor Unit CEO and Founder Shakim Compere told AllHipHop.com. “Apache was the string that tied all of Flavor Unit together. Without Apache none of this would be.”
Apache’s appearances included collaborations with Naughty by Nature, Fat Joe, Tupac Shakur, and A Tribe Called Quest.
No other details were available at press time.
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