For Hip-Hop lovers coming up in the late 80's and 90's, Todd-1 was a household name. The rapper/executive producer/TV host was one of the few people that was a staple on both MTV and BET as a popular host. Today, the tragic news has arrived that Todd-1, whose real name was Todd Muhammad, died on Wednesday of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 49, after the blod clot made its way into his bloodstream.
Todd-1's path to success is truly inspiring. He went from an MTV intern to production assistant to an associate producer that managed to work with the famed Ted Demme - who created YO! MTV Raps. Starting with MTV's "Fade to Black" Todd soon transformed into "MTV Jams." What set him apart and captivated his audience, was his offbeat hosting style that was chock full of humor and lessons alike. He worked with a whole host of OG names in the game, from Babyface and Janet Jackson, to Shaquille O'Neal, TLC and Queen Latifah, amongst others. At one point he transitioned into BET for a short, but significant period of time. Throughout his time on this earth, Todd tried to do it all, he worked with Mike Tyson's record label, NBA star Derrick Coleman's 44 Ways Entertainment, the Source Magazine's "Source All Access" and as a producer for "Interscope Presents The Next Episode." Before his untimely death, he was even working with Rolling Out magazine and podcasting.
One of hip hops pioneering feminists, and rap legend, MC Lyte took to Instagram to mourn the loss, "gone too soon," she captioned the sentiment, "a beautiful stand-up guy and man of his word. ." Activist and artist - and his sister in Islam - Queen YaNasda also mourned the loss of the upstanding individual, making a statement about the wisdom he imparted wherever he went. "Todd-1 was such a dope person across the board. I never missed an episode of MTV Jams when he was hosting it because he was soo funny and such a great interviewer to so many celebs. In a time of no social media we was able to get an inside look of many of my favorite celebrities because of the grand personality of Todd-1. Todd-1 became my close friend in 2014 and we were a part of a close cipher called The Allah Team. We would always catch up on life and whenever he needed relationship advice he always called me. Whenever Todd got a new project he was working on whether it was a podcast with Headkrack or hosting a talk show on Rolling Out he was always trying to figure out ways to get me involved. He was a very loyal and consistent person. A true treasure to us all. I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend whom I call a brother Todd Muhammad aka Todd-1. Allah (God) truly sent back a gem to the Hip-Hop community."