Two days after the death of DJ Unk, the Atlanta rapper behind the 2006 snap hit “Walk It Out,” his wife has revealed the cause of his passing.
Sherkita Long-Platt, DJ Unk’s widow, confirmed on Friday (Jan. 24) that the rapper had died at the age of 43. In a heartfelt Facebook post, she wrote, “Please respect me and my family. I just lost my husband and my kids just lost their father. Our life will never be the same. I LOVE YOU ANTHONY FOREVER,” without disclosing the cause of death.
On Sunday (Jan. 26), Long-Platt shared with TMZ that her husband passed away in his sleep after suffering a cardiac arrest. She also addressed rumors circulating about DJ Unk’s possible involvement with substance abuse, clarifying that he had not struggled with drugs.
TMZ reports that a candlelight vigil for DJ Unk is planned for Sunday evening in his Atlanta neighborhood.
Born Anthony Leonard Platt, DJ Unk was part of the Southern Style DJs before signing with Big Oomp Records in 2000. He made his debut with the single “Walk It Out” in August 2006, months ahead of his first album, Beat’n Down Yo Block!, which reached No. 21 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “Walk It Out” peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on both Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
“I’m glad that it’s good energy and good vibes in the song ’cause they use it as far as work out dances, they use it in church, they use it for anything,” DJ Unk told Billboard at the 2023 BET Awards.
He also expressed his gratitude for André 3000’s verse on the remix of “Walk It Out,” which featured OutKast and Jim Jones. “I still can’t believe that to this day,” he said. “I never dreamed that he would get on a record like that because he’s so powerful as far as hip-hop and music and everything, so it’s a blessing. That was a dream come true. It was like doing a song with Michael Jackson.”
DJ Unk’s second single, “2Step,” from Beat’n Down Yo Block!, reached No. 24 on the Hot 100 and landed in the top 10 on both Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The success of those tracks solidified DJ Unk as a leader of the snap subgenre of Southern hip-hop. His second album, 2econd Season, released in 2008, peaked at No. 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
More recently, GloRilla’s 2024 debut album, Glorious, features a sample of DJ Unk’s “Hold on Ho” from Beat’n Down Yo Block!
