An autopsy was conducted on Sunday, but the medical examiner is still waiting for the toxicology results to declare a cause of death. In a sad twist, Harden’s EP, “We On 1,” was scheduled for release in just a few days, and he seemed “poised for a breakout year”—his last album, released on influential label Hyperdub, was getting great reviews and he was slated to play at venues across the world. He was considered a pioneer in the world of footwork—a Chicago-born type of electronic music formerly known as Juke. And he was survived by a nine-year-old son named Chad.
It’s unclear what type of drugs Harden was on, but in the long run, it doesn’t even matter. All that matters is that another young artist’s promising future has been compromised and stolen in a battle with substances. I’m almost never surprised when I hear about deaths like this anymore; addiction is so rampant and overdose so incredibly common, it’s just a matter of time before we lose another talented soul to their demons. Does this make it any easier or less heartbreaking every time it happens? No, of course not.
RIP, DJ Rashad.
Photo courtesy of Timothy Misir [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons (resized and cropped)
