Legendary DJ Mister Cee has passed away as confirmed by the family of the Brooklyn native.
The HOT 97 family has the following statement:
As a family at HOT 97 and WBLS, we’re deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved Mister Cee. He wasn’t just a DJ; he was a pillar of our stations, bringing joy to countless listeners with his legendary Throwback at Noon and Friday Night Live sets.
Mr. Cee’s influence stretched far beyond the airwaves, shaping the very fabric of NYC’s DJ culture. Our hearts are heavy as we send our love and condolences to his family and the fans whose lives he touched through his music.
Rest easy, Mr. Cee. Your legacy will live forever.
Calvin LeBrun also known as Mister Cee has had an iconic career, making a name for himself as one of NYC’s most prominent DJ’s. From being the official DJ for Big Daddy Kane, helping bring The Notorious B.I.G to the world, and being a part of the foundation that shaped HOT 97 to be what it is today.
Mister Cee, widely known as The Finisher, became the official DJ for Big Daddy Kane as their friendship formed in their high school years. He later became the DJ behind Kane’s 1988 debut, Long Live The Kane.
Cee played a huge part in building the success of Biggie Smalls. He eventually served as the associate executive producer for The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 debut, Ready To Die.
“The first time I met him was when his DJ 50 Grand, rest in peace, brought Big to my house. The plan was we were going to redo the basement demo that he and 50 Grand put together. Big was very shy. He would always talk with his head down and say, “Yo man, don’t be promising me nothing, man. If you say you’re going to do something, do it.” And I’m like, nah, we’re going to redo the demo.”
“I started going through and picking the beats that were hot at the time, and the beat that Biggie picked was the Casual “I Didn’t Mean To” beat to do the infamous “Biggie Smalls is the wickedest/n*ggas say I’m pussy I dare you to stick your dick in it.” We did that one if not two takes, and if you listen to the freestyle, at the end of it, you’ll hear a fire truck going by. We weren’t in a studio, we were at my house. I did it with two turntables, just cutting the record back and forth. We had a little cheesy mic that was better than the mic 50 Grand had at his house.”
Amongst Cee’s many credentials, HOT 97 was at the top of the list. The legendary DJ hosted the “Throwback at Noon” which was among the most listened to programs on New York City Radio at the time. Cee had his hand in launching the careers of many well known artists such as Jay Z, Alicia Keys, 50 Cent and more.
Cee worked for HOT 97 for 21 years where he became family to his co-workers and counterparts. After his career at HOT 97, Cee continued a career in radio as of late he held the 12-1pm time slot Monday-Friday at 94.7 The Block and one of the most popular DJ’s on Rock The Bells radio on SiriusXM.
Mister Cee will be sorely missed by the hip-hop community, and the entire HOT 97 family.
May he rest peacefully.