Brooklyn rapper, producer and 9/11 first responder, Ka, has died at the age of 52 on Saturday.
“Born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Ka lived a life of service — to his city, to his community, and to his music,” his loved ones wrote on his social media accounts. “As a 20-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, he put his life on the line to protect his fellow citizens. Ka rose to the rank of FDNY captain and was a first responder on September 11, 2001, during the attacks on the World Trade Center.”
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Ka, whose real name is Kaseem Ryan, started his music career in the early 1990s when he joined the hip-hop group Natural Elements. He later left the group and formed the Nightbreed duo with his friend Kev. In 2008, he released Iron Works, his first solo album. Ka continued to work as an independent musician and released 11 albums, Variety reported. His final album, The Thief Next to Jesus, arrived in August.
In 1999, Ka took a break from music and joined the New York City Fire Department at age 27. He served as a first responder during the Sept. 11 attacks and continued to climb the ranks in the fire department to become captain, People reported.
Ka returned to music in 2008 when he connected with Wu-Tang Clan member GZA to release “Firehouse.” That same year, Ka released Iron Works.
In a 2015 interview with Passion of the Weiss, Ka discussed balancing his life as a musician and a firefighter.
“I’m living two lives, man. I’m trying to be who I am in the day and then trying to feed my soul at night with being the artist that I want to be,” Ka said at the time, per People.
Ka is survived by his wife, mother and sister.
