by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 23, 2021

Shock G, Digital Underground Rapper and Creator of the Humpty Dance, Dies at 57

It’s been said that tragedies happen in threes. Within the hip-hop world, we’ve witnessed three within the past two weeks. After mourning the deaths of Earl Simmons, known to the world as DMX, Robert Ross, who was Bad Boy Records’ Black Rob, word has come that Digital Underground’s Shock G, real name Gregory Jacobs, has died. He was 57.

According to Billboard, Shock G, who was always known as Humpty Hump in the very successful single and video, “The Humpty Dance” was the lead vocalist of the West Coast late ’80s/early ’90s hip-hop collective Digital Underground. The group featured a young Tupac Shakur before he launched his own successful solo career before being gunned down on Sept. 13, 1996.

An Instagram post from Digital Underground’s Jimi C. Dright Jr., who used the stage name, Chopmaster J, shared the tragic news.

“34 years ago almost to the day we had a wild idea we can be a hip hop band and take on the world 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 Humpty Hump and Rest In Peace my Brotha Greg Jacobs!!! #digitalunderground 😔”

The cause of death is unknown. Some hip-hop notables and other entertainers acknowledged him via their Twitter accounts.


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