Double K, People Under the Stairs Rapper, Has Died

Double K, who was one half of the rap duo People Under the Stairs, has reportedly died. He was 43. Double K, whose real name is Michael Turner, formed People Under the Stairs with Christopher Portugal a.k.a. Thes One in 1997. While his cause of death has yet to be confirmed at the time of the article’s publication, numerous individuals in the music industry have paid tribute to Double K on Sunday.

One of Double K’s friends and collaborators, A.C. the Program Director, announced the news on Instagram late Saturday night. In a video that he posted to the social media site, he said, “Yes, Double K, we lost him today. We lost a brother. Yes, terrible day.” He went on to post an unreleased song that Double K had made prior to his passing. Elsewhere in the video, A.C. could be seen tearing up as he discussed Double K’s death, telling his followers, “We lost Double K today. I’m sorry, I’m getting a little choked up but we lost Double K today, y’all. One of our greatest sons of this city. Way too young. So, we’re gonna play all his music today, alright, for the rest of the day.”

A.C. wasn’t the only one to pay tribute to Double K. On social media, many individuals in the music scene paid tribute to the late rapper. Rapper Psalm One wrote on Twitter, “Not Double K. What a dope persona and artist. One of my first big national tours PUTS was gracious enough to take me out. Double K was a fucking west coast pioneer. This is tough. Prayers up for K, his family, and Thes. REST IN POWER DOUBLE K.”

As previously mentioned, Double K was a part of the duo People Under the Stairs for over two decades. He and Thes One formed the duo in 1997 and released their first album, The Next Step, in 1998. People Under the Stairs would go on to release 15 albums, including three compilations of material that did not make it onto their studio albums, per Revolt. Their last album, Sincerely, The P, was released in 2019. It was the last album that the two released together before disbanding. While Thes One has not formally released a statement about Double K’s passing, he did post three black squares on his Instagram feed on Sunday, possibly in tribute to his former collaborator’s death.