MM / RIP BAATIN – We Can Never Forget You

ooohhh man Baatin Gone.. He and Jay Dilla must be eatin donuts right now. I Love Slum Village. When Jay Dilla went forward a few years ago it hit us hard in the D. Now we’ve lost Baatin. talk about tooo many too quick. this man was a great part of the soul of Detroit hip-hop. along with JD he formed the core of Slum Village.

Slum Village – Reunion (Ft. J Dilla)(Prod. By Black Milk)

One thing everyone will always remember about Baatin, is that he was the type of cat who had time to listen. he would always stop and give a minute to a cat to spill his lyrics as he was comin out of a party store; or when they signed any and everything at the numerous festivals in and around the D. They were truly loved and embraced by their many fans around the world.

Baatin stepped away from the group a few years ago to deal with his own health needs. Recently he was said to be rejoining Slum Village; as well as wrapping up a comeback CD. His Completed CD – Entitled, Titus 10; was completed and waiting for release. I certainly hope they maintain schedule and drop the cd; so that all of his fans can have a true memorial piece.

I remember that was the case when Jay Dilla died.. the cd dropped in his honor – as this one should. Giants Leave a Big Void when they Disappear..

They May Have Been Stars, but they Never Left the Spirit of The D – Ever.

Rest In Peace Soldier. Be assured that your clever rhymes will now be locked into an eternal beat; that we will hear as our heartbeart, Forever.

RIP BAATIN – We Can Never Forget You

check out the obit from the LA Times -

By Valerie J. Nelson
August 2, 2009

OBITUARIES: BAATIN – 1974 – 2009

Baatin dies at 35; rapper co-founded progressive hip-hop group Slum Village While in high school in Detroit, Baatin formed Slum Village with Jay Dee and T3. Born Titus Glover in Detroit, he formed the group with Jay Dee and T3 while in high school.

Baatin, a rapper who co-founded the progressive hip-hop group Slum Village, was found dead Saturday morning in Detroit. He was 35.

Ty Townson, a family friend, confirmed Baatin’s death to the Detroit Free Press. Details were not released.

Baatin, who left Slum Village around 2003, had said in interviews over the years that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and struggled with emotional problems. He embarked on a solo career but reportedly had recently rejoined the group.

Born Titus Glover in 1974, the Detroit native adopted the name Baatin in the 1990s to reflect a newfound spirituality. “Baatin” was “Islamic for ‘hidden,’ ” he once said.

While in high school on Detroit’s east side, he started rapping and formed what would eventually be called Slum Village with Jay Dee — who died in 2006 of complications from lupus — and T3.

At a nondescript Detroit storefront called the Hip-Hop Shop, the group honed its skills at open-mike nights along with a young Eminem.

Slum Village was “among the best” of the hip-hop groups to come out of Detroit, Soren Baker said in The Times in 2000.

“Where Eminem relies on lyrics full of violence and confrontation, the trio . . . takes a more universal approach,” delivering “a balanced, soulful sound and attitude that separates Slum Village from rap’s two dominant trends: the glossy glamorization of excess and the hard-core gangster sound,” Baker said.

Slum Village’s lauded major-label debut, 2000′s “Fantastic, Vol. 2,” was “widely decreed the torchbearer of progressive hip-hop,” and the 2002 follow-up album, “Trinity,” reaffirmed that position, reviewer Kris Ex wrote in The Times in 2002.

“Trinity” contained the group’s first bona fide radio hit, “Tainted.” By then, innovative DJ-producer Jay Dee had largely been replaced by lyricist Elzhi.

Slum Village shunned trends and injected spiritual and social commentary into its work.

“If people could open their minds,” Baatin told The Times in 2000, “they could see a broader perspective of hip-hop instead of categorizing it as 95-beats-per-minute, loud snares and muffled samples. . . . It could be anything.”

Baatin is survived by a son, Michael Majesty Ellis, 9; a daughter, Aura Grace Glover, 1; his parents, Howard and Grace Glover; and a sister, Tina, all of Detroit, according to the Free Press.

valerie.nelson@latimes.com

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