Jeffrey Campbell, aka the Educated Rapper, along with the Kangol Kid, Doctor Ice, and Mix Master Ice formed the legendary hip-hop group U.T.F.O. in the 1980s and banged out the now classic hit, “Roxanne, Roxanne.” It’s listed as one of the greatest songs in hip-hop history.
Now, U.T.F.O. legend Kangol Kid is in the fight of his life after receiving a Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis in February. As Kangol explained in a recent Instagram post, his situation has grown increasingly dire over the last few months. On Wednesday (October 27), Kangol revealed he’d been hospitalized and would undergo surgery the following day.
“Please forgive me for not returning calls and more,” he wrote. “Things have become, and are becoming a little more difficult than imagined. I’ve been admitted again for complications related to my condition. Thank you to those who have been instrumental in my latest ordeal. Your actions have been well received and greatly appreciated. I am blessed to have you by my side through this. I love you all. ~Kang. #kangolkid #kangol #utfo #roxanneroxanne #fuckcancer.”
He also posted a picture of the fluid that had to be drained from his stomach due to the disease.
“Just one of the many phases I have to go through as they prepare me for the fight of my life,” he wrote. “Continue to pray for me to become more relentless than this cancer. Thank you friends, family, fans and followers.”
Veteran New York City Hip Hop promoter Van Silk, who’s in the middle of his own colon cancer battle, is calling for prayers.
“Wishing my brother Kangol beat this disease, as one myself dealing with colon cancer but Stage 2,” he tells HipHopDX. “Everyone, please support my brother Kangol Kid from UTFO who is actually battling colon cancer at Stage 4. I could imagine what he going through. Sending my #Prayers.”
Silk’s and other stories prove Kangol is not alone in his cancer fight.
With the passing of Chadwick Boseman, the talented actor best known for his portrayal of the superhero Black Panther at the age of 43, it came as a surprise and shock to many. It made it all too real for a seemingly healthy, relatively young man like Boseman to die from colorectal cancer.
But while colorectal cancer isn’t as common in people under the age of 50 as it is in older people, it’s not as uncommon as many people might think. In 2020, about 12% of colorectal cancers – about 18,000 cases – will be diagnosed in people under the age of 50 in the US. What’s more, while rates of colorectal cancer have been falling in older age groups in recent years, they’ve actually been rising among younger people.
Colon Cancer Risk is higher in African Americans
Colorectal cancer also disproportionately affects the Black community, where the rates are the highest of any racial/ethnic group in the US. African Americans are about