R.I.P. Syke Dyke

I'm a few days late on this, but Robert "Syke Dyke" Reed, pictured here with Chuck Brown, passed away on Sunday from pancreatic cancer. Dyke, 50, was the singer/keyboardist in the go-go band Trouble Funk. Trouble are undisputed legends in the DC area, have been for more than 30 years, but most noted nationally for "Pump Me Up." "Pump Me Up" is one of the most important hip hop records that is never mentioned in the important hip hop records discussions. Probably because it isn't exactly a hip hop record, but it was hugely influential amongst old school DJs and such. Enough that their first album was picked up by Sugar Hill and subsequently covered and sampled by everyone from Melle Mel to Joe Budden. Much respect to Reed's friends, family and fans. Here's a very brief primer on Trouble for the rest of you: