Spicer's cadence influenced legends like Slick Rick, Rakim, and Snoop Dogg.

Following a late-stage lung and brain cancer diagnosis last year, hip-hop pioneer Jimmy "Super Rhymes" Spicer has reportedly passed. He was 61-years-old.

A Brooklyn native who won early in his independent career with 1980's “Adventures of Super Rhyme” -- the 15-minute barrage of playful lyricism that was one of hip-hop's first commercial releases -- Spicer's delivery was quickly tapped and interpolated by fellow luminaries. His laidback and cinematic cadence was source code for legends like Slick Rick and Rakim. Even subsequent generations were enamored by his delivery. Speaking with Jimmy Kimmel in 2017, Snoop Dogg revealed that "Adventures of Super Rhyme" was one the first rap he'd ever learned.

Though his subsequent releases would ultimately be outshined by "Super Rhyme," Spicer's "Money" and "Bubble Bunch" were also crucial cuts from hip-hop's infancy. Wu-Tang Clan would embed the former's "Dolla Bill Ya'll" refrain into an era-defining anthem of their own, while the latter was the source of John "Jellybean" Benitez's very first remix. Later in the decade, Spicer would sign with Russell Simmons' Rush Management and release the Rick Rubin-produced single "This Is It" through Def Jam.

Spicer is survived by his daughter, Janel, who launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with her father's medical expenses earlier this month. She announced Spicer's death via the campaign's page and promised to share details of a memorial service in the days ahead.

Russell Simmons, Dante Ross, and Ralph McDaniels have all shared commemorations of the late legend. You can read them below.