Double K, half of the Los Angeles rap duo People Under the Stairs, has died. Double K died at home yesterday (Jan. 30), according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. DJ Mark Luv, a friend, claimed he died in his sleep. A cause of death is not yet known. He was 43 years old.
Double K and Thes One founded People Under the Stairs in 1997. Their longstanding partnership was based on DIY principles – when producers and MCs tried, produced and played all of their music. In 1998 the duo released their full-length debut The Next Step, followed by Question in answer in 2000. OST, their most popular LP, was released in 2002.
People Under the Stairs continued to release records and touring regularly throughout their 22-year career. In 2011 Mac Miller took her on tour as an opener. The duo also released a steady stream of records until they broke up in 2019 – their 12th and final album was titled Sincereley, The P. Before the duo released their farewell record, they played their final show at London’s Jazz Cafe in 2018.
In 2019, Double K and Thes One spoke to the Los Angeles Times about their legacy and the decision to make Sincereley, The P their final record. Thes One described the article as the duo’s “exit interview”, and the two artists reflected on the two decades of making music together. “Where I grew up there was the negative and I had the positive, which my music was,” said Double K. “I was surrounded by the negativity, the things on the streets, the things I thought I was wanted to be part of it. I decided this was more important. I was just hiding in my room and listening to music and then I met this guy and I had someone to listen to music with. “
