Courtesy Rob Dz
Rob Dz performing on stage.
Rob Dz’ last rap show was a literal heart-stopper.
The 52-year-old emcee and beloved local hip-hop veteran collapsed on stage at the Gamma Ray Bar in mid-November, just as he was finishing an opening set.
Witnesses say Dz then hit his head and landed on some band equipment.
“He fell and there was this moment where everyone was just staring in confusion, not sure what to do — it seemed like time stopped,” says Fred Really, the rapper who’d performed just before Dz. “He was breathing but his breaths were far apart, like 20 to 30 seconds apart — it was absolutely horrifying.”
Quick-acting fans and bar staff called 911. “We did sternum rubs and talked to Rob to keep him with us until the EMTs arrived,” says Gamma Ray owner Kevin Willmott II.
Paramedics from the Madison Fire Department arrived and used a defibrillator to shock the rapper’s heart back into rhythm.
Talking with Isthmus in late December, Dz says that “The last thing I remember was ending my set, turning to get my laptop, but then not being able to find the pause button — and I guess that’s when I went down. The next thing was when I woke up in the hospital.
“I’ve always kind of joked around about there could be no better thing than giving a show everything I had and dying on stage,” he continues with a laugh. “But now having gone through all that…. Nah, no, no thank you.”
Dz spent three weeks at University Hospital, where he had open heart bypass surgery and a pacemaker installed.
While laid up, Dz did what he does best: He put pen to paper and started writing rhymes.
One piece that came from that near-death event is the poem “Clear,” referencing what’s shouted right before someone’s shocked with a defibrillator: “I'm just trying to figure out how I end up here / EMTs yelling ‘CLEAR’ / The only thing I remember is a bright sight / Still trying to figure out if it was they lights or The Light.”
It continues: “Next thing, I’m in a hospital bed / Drugged up, trying to catch what every specialist said / Meanwhile, there’s all these thoughts in my head / Like the reality that I coulda been dead.”
Dz produced a beat for the poem using the beeps and clicks of his heart monitor, and plans to release it as a song soon.
Since the incident, friends organized a fundraiser and he received numerous calls and texts from well-wishers showing him love and telling him how much Madison needs him. That love stems largely from how selflessly Dz has given to the local hip-hop community.
Dz — legally, Rob Franklin and originally from Beloit — has called Madison home for decades. He’s taught dozens of classes and workshops at local K-12 schools and UW-Madison summer music clinics as well as at community centers, juvenile detention centers and youth homeless shelters about how to rap and the impact and history of hip-hop culture.
He’s also been a lead organizer behind Mad Lit, and is co-president of the nonprofit Urban Community Arts Network. Dz works for The Bubbler at Madison Public Library, where he teaches young students how to produce and record music.
As a solo artist, he’s released a mountain of music and has been featured on dozens of other artists’ tracks. He’s known for both upbeat, solutions-driven tracks like “Talk About It” and heartfelt, vulnerable ballads like “Love.” (You can find his music on Bandcamp, Spotify and other digital streaming platforms.) On stage, he’s performed with the likes of Nas, Eminem, Common and probably every rapper from Madison.
The last song he performed that fateful night at Gamma Ray — which nearly became his last song ever — is a new, as-yet-unreleased track called “Oh.”
He describes it as “an admission of how crazy things are right now. In a spiritual sense, it’s crying out about these days we’re living through but in a mindful way.” That song will be part of his next album, Black Oddball, which he hopes to release this spring.
Friends say Dz is irreplaceable and always uplifts others with the singular goal of creating good music for all. “If it wasn’t for Rob, I wouldn’t have started rapping, and I’m probably not the only one who can say that,” says Fred Really, who is both a solo artist and member of the local rap crew Supa Friends. “He’s always willing to help others and teach us about how to throw our own shows and promote our music.”
Now Dz is getting ready to return to the stage on Jan. 17 for the Wisconsin Hip-Hop Fest at the High Noon Saloon.
“This all helped me realize that none of us will be here forever and so I’m being a bit more direct with my conversations.” Dz is following doctors’ orders to clean up his diet. He’s increasing his cardio workouts, too. “It’s a lot of walking but show rehearsals can be a part of my recovery, so I better get at it.”
