Grammy-Nominated Hip-Hop Star Dies ‘Unexpectedly’ at 43: Friends and Collaborators Confirm Profit’s Death

The hip-hop world is mourning the loss of Grammy-nominated artist, Tobias Adin Smith. According to an online obituary, Smith died at the age of 43 on January 19.

He was known under the moniker Profit the Producer, and is remembered as a visionary, educator, and community leader. The Chicago native earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing & Business Logistics from Wayne State University and went on to start Detroit Media Specialists, where he’d eventually land contracts with Detroit Public Schools, the Detroit Pistons, Radio One, and Beasley Media Group.

He directed his first documentary film, The Cotton Pickin’ Truth, in 2010, which features his mentor, the late Dick Gregory. The film is responsible for helping Mississippi formally ratify the 13th Amendment in 2013. 

Other notable accomplishments in entertainment include working as a Live Audio Engineer on the Wu-Tang Clan 20th Anniversary Tour in 2019, and serving as a songwriter, producer, and sound designer on Kanye West’s Donda album, with his work on the tracks “Jail” and “Hurricane” earning him two Grammy Awards in 2022. He was awarded the prestigious ASCAP Award in 2024. 

Terrance Denail Burney confirmed his passing, after speaking with Smith’s wife, in an Instagram post. Tagging Smith in the length post, he wrote in part about the two of them recently connecting about revitalizing an iconic hip hop record label, noting, “We just had a meeting with Death Row Music about speaking life on Death Row. He tried to help everybody he could.”

Swerve Strickland also dedicated a post to Smith. Captioning a black and white photo of the two, he wrote, “Love you and will miss you always big brother Tobias.” Swerve also dedicated his Dynamite match to Smith on Jan. 21. Commentators noted that Profit died “unexpectedly.

Smith’s last Instagram post was just days before his passing.