RIP Praverb

It's with confusion and sadness that I report this... word from Earl "Praverb" McNease's family is that the Florida-based MC, has passed away suddenly. While there's no official cause of death, this note was posted to his personal profile from his wife, Vanessa:

"To all of Patricks friends and family , it is with great sadness I share that we have unexpectedly lost our beloved friend, husband, father, and son , Earl Patrick McNease this morning. We are still unsure of what happened that took my love from us, but appreciate all of the support shown. I'm sorry to share such news via social media, but Patrick wouldn't have had it any other way. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as we grieve and uplift us as we try and pick up the pieces of our lives and raise our beautiful son Matthew. He was everything to his daddy, and so was his music.

The best way to honor my husband would be to continue to share his love of hip hop and the word of God through his websites, this was his aspiration."

I'm definitely in shock. For one, I'm pretty sure we were around the same age. Secondly, he was one of those cats that I'd been following for the past six years, trying to show love when it felt like so many would sleep on him for one reason or another. He was hip to how things worked on the 'Net, and was always ready to show love for his material being posted... but I think the biggest thing about Praverb was how selfless he was with the information he gained.

Just check out his website. While I'd fallen out of knowing how often he'd been putting out music (primarily because my day-job kept me out of the loop with a lot going on), I was always seeing the different pieces he'd write trying to help educate MCs on the come-up being shared on Twitter. He was putting together hip-hop blog directories and publicists, giving tips on how to market yourself, and so much more. Dude was really about helping instead of hindering, and I know personally that MCs were either just impressed with his skills or in debt with his knowledge. Guess he wasn't known as "P The Wyse" for nothing.

Damn. It's sad as hell to hear this info, and I know our international hip-hop community will take some time and really dig into his material. Do the knowledge on his site, then hit the jump and stroll through a playlist of his material. It also looks like donations are being taken to help cover funeral costs.

Rest in power, Praverb.

(And for those looking for a little bit of Praverb, check out Professional Hobbyist, The Gospel Is Free 2: The Rebirth, and Center of Attention. Dude had a gift.)

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