more talented with beats and rhymes than 95% of the mother****ers you hear on your local radio stations.

old article, I was definitely looking forward to it.

http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-03-02/music_vibes2.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camu_Tao

http://www.okayplayer.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,R.I.P.-Tero-Camu-Tao-Smith.html/Itemid,146/

http://blogs.okayplayer.com/el-p/

One of my favorite artists has passed today losing to a battle with Lung Cancer. Camu Tao was a member of the MHZ Crew out of Columbus, Ohio, a member of the Def Jux fam and 1/2 of the group SA Smash. Camu was a talented producer and mc.

May God be with him and his family. Camu Tao rest in peace.

Below is a blog post from the owner / founder of Def Jux, EL-P:

Today, at around 2pm, our dear friend, family member and musical collaborator Tero "CAMU TAO" Smith passed away in his home town of Columbus, Ohio. Tero had been quietly fighting for his life for the last year and a half after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

To those who knew Tero, he was an almost uncategorizable force of nature. Wild, hilarious, proud, loving, tough, outspoken, spontaneous and brilliant. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he dripped creativity, leaving inspiration and awe in the hearts and minds of anyone who was fortunate enough to see him work.

We, his friends and family, have truly had our collective hearts broken by his passing. Not only because of the loss of our friend, but because of the loss of his contribution to those who never knew what we knew about his talent and his potential. He was the secret that no one wanted to keep and we always knew that one day his vision and his heart could change music forever the way he changed all of our lives.

His departure from us all 1 day away from his 31st birthday is nothing less than a tragedy… nothing less than a crime. he was a gift to us all and he is irreplaceable. Rest in peace, Mu. We will love you forever. May god bless you and your family.

R.I.P.
Tero "CAMU TAO" Smith
born 6/26/77, passed 5/25/08
wm/cc

sincerely,
jaime "el-p" meline (on behalf of many, many wonderful and broken hearted friends)

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I read about his passing the other day. What a shame, 30 years old.

R.I.P Camu Tao

"Plot for a little" and "Oxycotin" are classic songs IMO. "Wireless" is one of my personal favorites. Listening to any of those three songs will make you a fan of that guy's style. A damn, mother****ing shame.

oxycotin:

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Damn, that sucks. I'm not terribly familiar with his music per se, but I follow Def Jux more than any other record label. 30 is WAY too young to be dying from lung cancer...that's just unheard of.