Rapper Magoo, Timbaland's Ex-Collaborator, Dead at 50: Report

The "Up Jumps Da’ Boogie" musician's cause of death is currently unknown

Rapper Magoo, an early collaborator of producer Timbaland, has reportedly died at the age of 50.

No cause of death has been determined at this time.

The news was revealed by music producer Digital Black in an Instagram post, which featured the cover of Magoo and Timbaland’s 1997 album Welcome to Our World.

“Man can’t believe this RIH Magoo damn big bro wasnt ready for this at all #superfriends,” he wrote.

"Pony" singer Ginuwine also paid tribute to the late musician on Instagram reminding followers that "time is short."

"I don’t even know how to say anything at this point , I have lost 3 friends now within a month to LIFE and it’s due date ….this dude , always pushed me …I will mis you maganooo that’s what we called him ….. totally one of the best ever in my eyes always pressing forward I know we didn’t talk alot but the love was and will be always there my brotha , I will see you soon bro we all have our date and I’m expecting the bro hug when I get there 🍷," he wrote alongside an image of Magoo with the text "R.I.P Soldier Melvin "MaGoo" Barcliff."

He continued, "I’m truly efd up right now foreal life is crazy… I hate going through this and losing people we love sometimes it makes you feel like you dont wanna feel the pain so you wanna be gone also …pain hurts ..man oh man blessings to the family all of my condolences 🙏🏽."

Related: Nelly Furtado FaceTimes into Studio with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland as Producer Teases New Collab

Timbaland also posted a series of Instagram posts dedicated to Magoo.

"This one hits different 🥲🥲🥲 long live Melvin aka magoo !!!💔💔💔 Tim and Magoo forever 🕊️🕊️🕊️ rest easy my king ❤️❤️❤️," the producer wrote in the first, alongside a video of the pair performing together.

Born Melvin Barcliff, the rapper met Timbaland in Norfolk, Virginia when they were teenagers and in 1989 formed the duo Timbaland & Magoo. In a 2020 interview with YouKnowIGotSoul, Magoo discussed how impressed he was by Timbaland's DJing and producing skills.

“He was selling mixtapes back then. We’re not talking about New York City, Atlanta or Miami here. We’re talking about Virginia. It was not a hip-hop area," Magoo told the outlet.

Back in the early 1990s, Magoo and Timbaland were all in a collective called Surrounded by Idiots (SBI), which featured Pharrell Williams. Magoo was impressed by Pharrell's talent, too.

“Pharrell’s musical ability was out of space and he was in his own world. The first time I heard him do a rap, I was like, ‘This dude already sounded like he was ready for the mainstream,'” he said in the interview.

Magoo was also responsible for introducing Missy Elliott to Timbaland and creating one of music's most dynamic pairings. "It was almost like God was putting pieces together,” he said of their collaboration. “She saw the future for what Tim’s production could do.”

In the early 1990s Magoo — along with Timbaland and Elliott — became part of the hip-hop collective Da Bassment Cru, which was curated by Jodeci member DeVante Swing. “When I first got around all those cats, they were the most talented group of people I’d ever been around,” said Magoo.

By 1995 the project fizzled out and Timbaland & Magoo signed to Blackground Records, run by Aaliyah's uncle, Barry Hankerson. “Aaliyah was funny and a good-spirited-type person,” Magoo recalled. “If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have been on Blackground. She spoke up for Tim and me and Barry ended up signing us … Aaliyah vouched for us and I never forgot that.”

Two years later,  the duo's debut album Welcome to Our World was released, with features from Elliott, Aaliyah and Ginuwine.

“I never really got the chance to enjoy the success because it came at a cost,” Magoo said, noting it was all a blur. “I’m going to keep it real, I didn’t enjoy any of that. I never felt like me and Tim got a chance to enjoy our early years and it never even felt like we were this million-selling group. Not just from a financial standpoint, but more so because you’re always working. You go from that album and then they want another one and then you have people trying to rip you apart.”

In 2001, Magoo and Timbaland released their second album, Indecent Proposal, which featured JAY-Z, Ludacris and Tweet. Their next collaboration, Under Construction Part II, released in 2003, included artists like Brandy, Wyclef Jean, Bubba Sparxxx and Beenie Man.

Related: Justin Timberlake's Upcoming Album Is 'Fun,' Timbaland Teases: 'It's Done and It's Coming'

While Timbaland stepped further into the spotlight, Magoo took a step back.

“I enjoyed it more once it was over and I still didn’t enjoy it,” he said. “That’s why I walked away from it … When I had a No. 1 song, I realized I may have been better with my 9-5 before I left Virginia. It’s hard to be happy because you’re fighting for everything you earned and you just don’t have time to enjoy it with your family. You aren’t as close with friends anymore and people are treating you different once you have that hit record. I lived two different lives and being a celebrity wasn’t fun.”

Magoo is best known for his work with Timbaland on “Up Jumps Da' Boogie” (feat. Missy Elliott and Aaliyah), “Clock Strikes” (feat. Mad Skillz), “Luv 2 Luv Ya (Remix)” (feat. Shaunta and Playa), and “All Y’all” (feat. Tweet and Sebastian). He was notably featured on Missy Elliott’s “Beep Me 911,” Ginuwine’s “G Thang,” and a remix of Jodeci’s “What About Us.”

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