Rapper Klelph Dollaz dies

Richmond-based rapper, Kleph Dollaz, 41, was found dead today from an apparent cardiac arrest. Dollaz was former member of the 1990s hip hop group Ill Biskits and later produced music for Sean Price, Sadat X, Talib Kweli and others. Last year he released an album, "Square in the Circle," via his bandcamp page. Kleph's music took a spiritual turn in recent years, as evidenced by the above clip for "Speak the Name," directed by Marcus Holland.

RIP MCA

WOWI's DJ Law Dead

Virginia's music community lost one of its most popular and constant voices over the weekend. DJ Lawrence “Cool DJ Law” Brown died after suffering a heart attack on Sunday. The 40-year-old radio personality had been a fixture on 103 Jamz in Norfolk for many years.

Law is survived by his wife, mother, father and sister.

DJ Peachez, Richmond DJ, Dies

Terika Grooms, aka DJ Peachez died at an area hospital today after a brief illness. I'm not the target audience for contemporary urban radio, so I had no idea who she was until recently, when I heard she was sick via facebook updates from a friend yesterday. You can learn about her life at reverbnation.com:

DJ Peachez was born in Lynchburg, Va and spent her childhood in Amherst, VA. Her parents were unable to take care of her, so her paternal grandparents became her guardians. Even though her grandparents cared for her, her parents were an important part of her life. Overall, her childhood was happy, but there were several hardships and tragedies. At age 7, an electrical fire destroyed her home and all of her possessions. At age 12, her father passed away, and later, her grandmother passed away 3 weeks before her high school graduation. Despite all of these obstacles, she graduated from high school with a 3.9 GPA and became to first in her family to go to college. She graduated from James Madison University with a BBA in Marketing and a Minor in Music Industry.

She was a mix DJ at WCDX and had bigger plans.

All of her life, she has dared to dream big, and her goal is to become a business mogul and philanthropist. She wants to become internationally known as a DJ and talk to youth and young adults about the importance of education. In addition, she wants major sponsorships and product endorsements and eventually start a marketing consulting company. Later on during her lifetime, she would like to earn a Ph. D. and possibly teach at a university.

Rest In Peace, DJ Peachez.

Rapper Baatin of Slum Village Dies

Detroit's hip hop community lost another pivotal member this weekend. Baatin, a founding member of Slum Village, died yesterday. The rapper, who had recently rejoined the group, was found dead on a Detroit street after leaving a cookout. The cause of death is unknown.

The 35-year-old rapper's death, follows the unfortunate demise of two other major players in the Detroit scene. Rapper Proof, of D12, was shot to death outside a Detroit nightclub in August of 2006. Former Slum Village member Jay Dila, also died in 2006, from cardiac arrest.