Detroit Rapper Baatin, of Slum Village, Has Died

Baatin, a Detroit rapper and member of Detroit rap collective Slum Village, is dead. The cause of his death has not been revealed.

Baatin was born Titus Glover in 1974. He, Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla), who died in 2006 of cardiac arrest, and T3 formed a group and called themselves Ssenepod. In 1991, they changed their name to Slum Village.

The group changed members several times over the years. The original Slum Village "Fantastic, Vol. 1" and "Fantastic, Vol. 2." Jay Dee then left the group and was replaced with Elzhi.

However, then the Slum Village trio became a duo (T3 and Elzhi). Baatin became sick touring in France shortly before the release of their 2004 album, Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit) and left for undisclosed medical reasons.

Recently, it was announced that Baatin had rejoined Slum Village. A new album, "Villa Manifesto," was scheduled to be released September 22.

The news that Baatin was dead spread virally on Saturday. It appeared on Twitter, and fans left messages on Baatin's MySpace page.

It is unclear if Baatin's death is in any way related to his 2004 diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. May he RIP.

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