It’s been just under two weeks since the Hip Hop community learned Shock G of Digital Underground fame had died. The Bay Area Hip Hop legend was laid to rest in a private funeral in Tampa, Florida on Saturday (May 1) where his brother reminded the crowd Shock G used to allow him to done his Humpty Hump costume and trick unsuspecting victims — much like MF DOOM would go on to immortalize in his subsequent career.
“He would sometimes let me be the big nose rapper, which was a lot of fun,” he says, adopting his late brother’s voice. “At the Arsenio Hall Show, I was Humpty. I wore a big coat with white. It had two diamond H’s on the back. As we were walking in to the Arsenio Hall Show, he [Hall] had his arm around me and he was telling me who he met when they performed on the show and did ‘The Humpty Dance.’ I would act like I would remember them from that time. I remember Ice-T went like this [confused look].
“All these West Coast star rappers and we’re walking around hollering at everybody and Ice-T is going [confused look]. I was like, ‘What up man?’ He shook my hand. It was a lot of fun that he included me in this history and it was extremely … I was so proud of him when we back to New York. New York loved Digital Underground, and I’m so proud of him and the work that he did.”
In a 2017 interview with HipHopDX,Digital Underground’s Money B revealed Shock G used imposters quite regularly.
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“As for the Humpty Hump character, we fooled people because Shock [G] has a brother who looks like him,” he explained. “A little bit shorter, but enough to where both of them would be at shows onstage together. And he also had a few of his friends who would do photo shoots with us and when they would put on the nose, they could pull it off too, if they had the right complexion.
Digital Underground Legend Shock G Dead At 57
“Shock’s brother played Humpty in the ‘Same Song’ video. Humpty Hump is a fictitious character like Batman or James Bond 007 played by Roger Moore, or Pierce Brosnan. ‘The Humpty Dance’ video we shot like a week or two after that huge earthquake in San Francisco in ‘89 during the World Series. The bridges were out and people had to travel out by the ferry from East Bay, and we didn’t think people would show up to the video shoot at all. But they did.”
Shock G’s lifeless body was discovered in a Tampa hotel room on April 22, but a cause of death has yet to be revealed. Digital Underground co-founder Chopmaster J confirmed the news in an Instagram post that night.
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“34 years ago almost to the day we had a wild idea we can be a hip hop band take on the world,” he wrote. “through it all the dream became a reality and the reality became a nightmare for some. And now he’s awaken from the fame long live Shock G AKA Humpy Hump and Rest in Peace my brotha Greg Jacobs!!!”
Hip Hop has experienced a string of devastating losses in recent months, including MF DOOM who died late last year. Countless people have paid tribute to Shock G in the wake of his death, including El-P, Pharoahe Monch, Chuck D and naturally, Ice-T.
