Ka, 1972 – 2024

Rapper and hip-hop artist Kaseem Ryan, who performed as Ka, died of undisclosed causes on Oct. 12. He was 52. From 1994 till his death, Ka released nine solo albums, as well as several collaborations. Ka paid the rent by working as a New York City fireman (he was a 9/11 first responder). When the New York Post took him to task for his songs’ glorification of drugs, violence, crime and naughty cuss-words, he responded that firefighting was “a full-time job and I work all the time. I just have a job. It ain’t my calling or nothing. It’s just my job.” Of his stage name, he laughed that “you can’t Google me! I’m not for everybody, so I don’t want to be seen by everybody. I like that I get lost with my Ka name.”