Omen, Who Produced Hits For Beyoncé, Drake, And More, Has Died At Age 49

One of hip-hop’s most prolific hitmakers has passed; Omen, who produced for Beyoncé, Drake, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, and many more, has died at age 49. According to NBC News, Omen — whose real name was Sidney Brown, was found dead in his New York City apartment by his family after missing a DJ gig on Saturday night (September 13).

His sister, Nicole Iris Brown, told NBC News, “He was holistic and healthy. So we don’t know of him being sick, so this is all pretty sudden.” She also commented on his legacy, saying, “I hope people will remember that he was willing to help the younger generation. He was always big on helping younger people start their careers and get themselves into the game. It was about just the music, no matter who the artist was.”

This was certainly true of Drake, whose debut album Thank Me Later featured Omen’s production on the song “Shut It Down” featuring The-Dream. Omen had also produced Beyoncé’s 2013 song “Mine,” which appeared on her self-titled album and incidentally also featured Drake. Omen even helped Ludacris win a Grammy; he produced the song “Tell It Like It Is” from Luda’s 2006 album, Release Therapy. Throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, he also made beats for Fabolous, Keith Murray, Redman, and Usher, as well as a number of up-and-coming acts in the blog era.