Compton, California’s own Vince Edwards, aka CPO Boss Hogg, passed away yesterday (January 12). The passing was confirmed by his brother Bokie Loc to Chad Kiser earlier today. Details have not been made public. CPO had posted about his ongoing health battles on social media, and in 2010, he survived congestive heart failure.
The West Coast legend captivated fans of west coast hip-hop as soon as he stepped on the scene with his crew, the Capital Punishment Organization. Discovered and introduced by MC Ren, CPO Boss Hogg, aka Lil’ Nation, made his extraordinary debut when the video to “Ballad Of A Menace” was released and featured the members of N.W.A. — Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and MC Ren.
On the heels of C.P.O.’s To Hell And Black debut album, Boss Hogg landed a guest appearance as “Mr. Big Draws” on N.W.A.’s “Findum, Fuck’em, and Flee” off the Efil4zaggin album.
From there, CPO Boss Hogg would continue to make appearances on a host of classic west coast albums in the 90’s including the Above The Rim (“Just So Ya No”) and Murder Was The Case (“The Eulogy”) soundtracks, as well popping up to steal the show on 2Pac’s 9-times platinum I (“Picture Me Rollin”).
In the early 2000’s Boss Hogg continued to link up with some of the west’s finest when he showed up alongside Tha Eastsidaz, Xzibit, and Kurupt for “The Big Bang Theory”, he popped in for 2 cuts for Warren G’s Return Of The Regulator (“They Lovin’ Me Now”, “It Ain’t Nothing Wrong With You”), and put one down for Snoop Dogg’s Bones soundtrack with “This Is My Life”.
Some of Boss Hogg’s closest friends and associates reached out to Chad Kiser to share their words about his passing. Former mentor MC Ren said, “Man, I’ve been knowing him since I was a little kid. To grow up and be able to produce an album for him was priceless. Incredible MC and a very very good person.”
Danny Peterson, aka C-Note, remembers CPO Boss Hogg as, “One of the most underrated rappers in hip-hop history. He was a big guy, with a big heart. I love him, and I miss him. And one thing about Vince, he preferred for people to refer o him as a writer, rather than a rapper. He was passionate about his writing more than his rapping. He loved writing poems, and he was working on a science-fiction book. I wish he would have had the opportunity to finish.”
Chad Kiser extends condolences to the family, friends, and fans of CPO.