(November 26, 2022) AllHipHop.com has reported the passing of noted musician, producer and composer Don Newkirk at age 56. Newkirk was a vital part of several seminal early hip hop albums, including discs by De La Soul, 3rd Bass, and Stetasonic.
Newkirk was also a Def Jam solo artist, releasing his album Funk City in 1989. While it was not a big seller, Funk City became an underground favorite, and paved the way for Newkirk’s contribution to the Livin Large soundtrack, the song “Small Thing.” Newkirk’s follow-up album, Between Love & Lust, was caught in label challenges, and stayed in the vault for nearly three decades, being independently issued by Newkirk in 2021 as Nostagia.
In the new millennium, Newkirk was active scoring films, including 2004’s The Best Thief In The World and 2020’s Who Killed Malcolm X documentary, often working with Prince Paul.
