EAST POINT, Ga. — The city of East Point made a point to honor the late Rico Wade’s contributions to the hip-hop industry on Friday in the spot where it all began -- with a monument in his honor.
From the age of 13, Marqueze Ethridge and Wade were neighborhood friends, growing up together not far from the intersection of Delowe and Headland.
“We were the best of friends, like even before the music,” Ethridge said. “He made you think anything was possible, and he was so influential.”
It’s that influence that’s being honored now just outside of the Headland Plaza, where the music producer once worked, and a short walk to where he grew up.
“It has meaning and the path to success started here,” East Point City Councilwoman Sharon Shropshire said.
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Shropshire said it matters to have the monument in East Point.
From the creation of Wade’s Dungeon Family and Organized Noize, the monument symbolizes the contribution a person from that community made to the world.
“He met you where you were, and he made you greater,” Ethridge said.
“Without Rico Wade, there would be no Outkast, there would be no Goodie Mob, there would be no collaborations in songs with TLC, and the list goes on,” Shropshire said.
Wade died of heart failure at the age of 52 last April.
At the monument’s dedication, Wade’s childhood friend said he felt his presence and wants it to endure.
“That’s the main thing. I don’t want it to end today. I want generations after us, grandkids, grandkids-grandkids to know about this visionary,” Ethridge said.
The Atlanta City Council said of Wade on a social media tribute: “His contributions to hip-hop and production shaped the sound of generations and made our city the beacon of the modern hip-hop era.”
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