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R.I.P. Tero "Camu Tao" Smith
Alternative Press - Mike Scales on 5/29/08 @ 4:34 PM - altpress.com
"On Sunday, May 25th, at around 2pm, our dear friend, family member and musical collaborator Tero "Camu Tao" Smith passed away in his home town of Columbus, Ohio. Tero had been quietly fighting for his life for the last year and a half after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
To those who knew Tero, he was an almost uncategorizable force of nature. Wild, hilarious, proud, loving, tough, outspoken, spontaneous and brilliant. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he dripped creativity, leaving inspiration and awe in the hearts and minds of anyone who was fortunate enough to see him work.
Camu was a brilliant rapper, singer and sought after producer. He got his start in the group MHZ which released records on Fondle Em Records. He was also a founding member of the artistic collectives known as Weathermen and Cardboard City. He was in a group called Nighthawks with Chris "Cage" Palko, whose album was released on Eastern Conference Records. He was also in S.A. Smash with Keith "Metro" Lawson, who released their debut album, Smashy Trashy, on Definitive Jux records. More recently he was a part of Central Services with myself, Jaime "El-P" Meline, whose debut album, Forever Frozen in Television Time, never got released. At the time of his death he was working on what those who had the chance to hear it considered his break through solo record, called King of Hearts, that was scheduled to be released on Definitive Jux this year.
We, his friends and family, have truly had our collective hearts broken by his passing. Not only because of the loss of our friend, but because of the loss of his contribution to those who never knew what we knew about his talent and his potential. He was the secret that no one wanted to keep and we always knew that one day his vision and his heart could change music forever the way he changed all of our lives.
His departure from us all one month away from his 31st birthday is nothing less than a tragedy. Nothing less than a crime. He was a gift to us all and he is irreplaceable.
Rest in peace, Mu. We will love you forever. May god bless you and your family."
Sincerely, Jaime "El-p" Meline
