Double K, half of the Los Angeles rap duo People Under the Stairs, died. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, Double K died at home yesterday (January 30). DJ Mark Luv, a friend, claimed that he died in his sleep. The cause of death has not yet been revealed. He was 43 years old.
Double K and Thes One formed People Under the Stairs in 1997. Their longstanding partnership was founded on do-it-yourself principles – as producers and MCs, they sampled, produced and deejay all of their music. In 1998, the duo released their debut album The next step, Followed by Question in the form of an answer in 2000. OST, his most beloved LP, arrived in 2002.
People Under the Stairs continued to release records and tour frequently throughout their 22-year career. In 2011, Mac Miller brought them on tour as openers. The duo also released a steady stream of records until their separation in 2019 – their 12th and final album was titled Sincereley, The P. Before releasing their farewell album, the duo played their last show at London’s Jazz Cafe in 2018.
In 2019, Double K and Thes One spoke to The Los Angeles Times about his legacy and the decision to take Sincereley, The P your last record. Thes One referred to the article as the duo’s “exit interview”, and the two artists reflected on the two decades they created music together. “Where I grew up, there was the negative, and I had the positive, which was my music,” said Double K. “I was surrounded by negativity, the things that happened on the streets, the things that I thought I wanted to be a part of. I decided that this was more important. I just hid in my room, listening to music, and then I met this guy and had someone else to listen to music. “