Many members of the Dungeon Family reunited in Atlanta on Friday (April 26) for a private memorial due to the loss of one of its pillars: Rico Wade. Moreover, his mother’s basement was the “dungeon” that Outkast, Killer Mike, Future, and many more called their home, whether literally or figuratively. While the Organized Noize producer was not the most famous person in the world, his final public remarks, particularly ones from an AllHipHop interview about his Dungeon Family partners, have taken on a more meaningful, saddening, but still beautiful luster after his passing. They went through a lot of bumps as folks in the industry, and even through his health struggles and alcoholism, they always came back together to let their love, support, and gratitude be crystal clear.

“I just had heart surgery, where they had to put a stent in my chest,” Rico Wade told the publication in an interview from the day after he went to an André 3000 concert. “This happened January 19 and I just felt like, ‘Man, I would have missed it [the concert].’ God didn’t want my life. He wanted my attention and he got it. It’s been blessings on blessings on blessings since then. Since that moment, I’ve been blessed in every way. It’s hard to not cry every time I think about it.

Rico Wade, Killer Mike & Big Boi In Atlanta

“They all love and respect me,” Rico Wade remarked about the support he got from the Dungeon Family amid his health scare. “They all look at me as a person that did it for them, especially after what I just went through. I’ve spoken to every last one of them, and it’s been like, ‘I want to hug you and I want to let you know how important you are to us. I’m glad you’re still here.’ I hate for it to take a life-altering situation, but even Future, that’s my cousin, he’s been so busy. But if I text him now, he texts me right back. I seen André last night at the show, and I was in the studio the other day seeing [Big] Boi. Everybody can see that I’m clear and clean. They can see that I ain’t drinking and they can see my energy…

“What’s crazy about that is that Killer Mike is one of the most articulate, intelligent people I know,” he said of Mike’s Grammy wins and his brief arrest at the ceremony. “So sometimes -– not purposely ’cause I wouldn’t say it was a conspiracy. But they were waiting for him or whatever, like, because of something that happened at the Staples Center or whatever. Since then, the city has been so supportive. Other news outlets have been so supportive of giving him that platform to let him speak because not only did he sweep the Grammys, his album is really good. The song with André and Future won Song of the Year. So it’s like, I’m happy that I’m here.” For more news and updates on the Dungeon Family and its fallen legend, check back in.
Rest In Peace Rico Wade.