Houston Rap Pioneer O.G. Style Dies

XXLMAG.com has learned that Eric "O.G. Style" Woods, a pioneer in the Houston, TX hip-hop scene, passed away late last night (January 3) from a sudden brain aneurysm. Woods was hospitalized on Wednesday night, at which point his brain began to hemorrhage, and he slipped into a coma. He was kept on life support until late Thursday. He was 37 years old at the time of his death.

Woods made an impact on the Houston scene when he became one of the first acts signed to Rap-A-Lot records. In the late ’80s, when Woods was known as "The E," he teamed up with producer Big Boss (who also died in late 2006 from kidney failure) to form a group called O.G. Style. Their 1991 Rap-A-Lot debut I Know How To Play ’Em hit the Billboard chart at #68 and spawned the national hit "Catch ’Em Slippin'," establishing both members as valuable faces on the budding local scene. Soon after, Big Boss left to form a new group called 4Deep, and Woods retained the name O.G. Style for himself. Recently, Woods had returned to rap, independently releasing I Still Know How To Play Em in 2000 and Return Of Da Game in 2005.

For more information on O.G. Style, check out Noz's tribute post, as well as popular blog HoustonSoReal.