ROGER TROUTMAN

'Roger Troutman' (November 29 1951 - April 25 1999) was the lead singer of the band Zapp. Born in Hamilton, Ohio, Roger was the fourth of nine children. He was a late-arriving member of Funkadelic and played on the album ''The Electric Spanking of War Babies''. He is known for popularizing the talk box within the rap community, and was very popular with Bay Area rappers such as Tupac Shakur and Spice 1, as well as Kansas City sensation Tech N9ne.
In the 80s he pursued a solo career with the hit "I Wanna be Your Man". His greatest hit was "More Bounce to the Ounce" which has been sampled by EPMD, The Notorious B.I.G, MC Breed, Snoop Dogg and many others.
He collaborated with 2Pac and Dr. Dre on "California Love," which made the top 10 on the charts^[1] and was nominated for a Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group in 1997. He also collaborated with Hip Hop group EPMD on their song "Crossover".^[2].

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Death

References

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Death

On a Sunday morning, April 25, 1999, Roger Troutman was found shot and critically wounded outside his northwest Dayton recording studio around 7 a.m. According to doctors, the 47-year-old had been shot several times in the torso and was in critical condition; he died during surgery at the local hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital and Health Center. Roger's brother Larry was discovered dead in a car a few blocks away with a single gunshot wound to the head. A pistol was found inside the vehicle, which matched the description of a car leaving the scene of Roger Troutman's shooting according to witnesses^[3]. Police concluded it to be an apparent murder-suicide, but family members could not offer any reason or motive. It is likely that a personal dispute had developed between the two brothers; as far as can be determined, Larry shot Roger, then shot himself³. Roger Troutman, who lived 24 years in the Dayton area, leaves five sons, Roger Lynch, Larry Gates, Lester Gates, Ryan Stevens and Taji J. Troutman; five daughters Dawn Shazier, Hope Shazier, Summer Gates, Mia Paris Collins and Gene Nicole Patterson; and a grandson.

References

1. 2Pac Billboard Chart History
2. Grammy Archive
3. California Loved

External links

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