C

Combat Jack

Died
December 20, 2017
Age
53 years
Cause
colon cancer

Remembering Combat Jack: related finds and keepsakes

About Combat Jack

Combat Jack, 53, American music journalist (The Source, Complex), historian and podcaster, colon cancer.

Explore other notable deaths in 2017 or deaths in December 2017.

The Deaths Archive presents

How well do you know Combat Jack?

Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.

10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?

Challenge your friends

Play together in real-time.

Advertisement

Full Biography

|

Reginald Joseph Ossé (July 8, 1969 – December 20, 2017), known professionally as Combat Jack, was a Haitian-American hip hop music attorney, executive, journalist, editor and podcaster. He was the former managing editor of The Source. He was the host of the podcast The Combat Jack Show and founding partner of the Loud Speakers Network. He was also the host of the Complex TV show version of The Combat Jack Show podcast.

Career

A first-generation Haitian-American, Ossé was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 8, 1969, and graduated from Cornell University. There at the university, he became a member of Kappa Xi chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. He later received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He represented hip-hop producers and entertainers, such as Jay-Z, Damon Dash, Roc-a-fella Records, DJ Clark Kent, Nice & Smooth, Capone-N-Noreaga, Deric "D. Dot" Angelettie, Ski Beatz, and others, starting from an internship in legal affairs for Def Jam Recordings in 1989. After 12 years of practicing law in the music industry, he retired and wrote Bling, a book documenting hip-hop's history and fascination with jewelry. He also served as the Vice President of Audio/Music DVD at MTV Networks and later managing editor of The Source. Then with Gimlet Media, a podcast network, he hosted a show called Mogul about the life and death of hip hop executive Chris Lighty.

The Combat Jack Show

Ossé chose the name Combat Jack from the book Generation Kill, initially using it as a pseudonym for commenting on Missouri-based blogger Byron Crawford's site. In August 2010, he launched a podcast by the same name, first aired on PNC Radio. The internet radio show was dedicated to hip hop discussions and interviews. Combat Jack's co-hosts include Dallas Penn, Premium Pete, DJ Benhameen, AKing and Just Blaze.

In 2013, The Combat Jack Show became the flagship of a network of podcasts founded by Ossé known as the Loud Speakers Network, which also includes The Read, hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle, The Brilliant Idiots, and FanBros, hosted by DJ Benhameen.

Over his life, Ossé also blogged for XXL magazine, as well as his own website.

Death

Combat Jack died at a hospital from colon cancer in Brooklyn on the morning of December 20, 2017, two months after announcing he had been diagnosed with the cancer.

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Interactive

Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge

How well do you know this person's life and legacy?

No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.

Articles & News

Reported coverage of Combat Jack; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.

Books & Media

Find books, audiobooks and films about Combat Jack on Amazon.

Available at Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Sources

People who died on December 20

Spotted an error?

Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.

Report an error for Combat Jack →

Advertisement

We use cookies for analytics (Google Analytics 4 and PostHog) and advertising (Google AdSense) to understand site usage and improve your experience. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of these cookies. See our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy for details.