Sadly, hip-hop lost one of its own today in Tyruss "Big Syke" Himes, a rapper who was close friends with 2Pac and a member of Thug Life.

As TMZ reports, police responded to a call on Monday (Dec. 5) and quickly went to Syke's home in Hawthorne, Calif.  Afterward, the L.A. County Coroner came on the scene, which confirmed the 48-year-old had passed away. At this time, authorities believe the longtime lyricist died from natural causes, and there's no foul play involved.

If you're familiar with Syke, then you know he's been dropping music since the 90s when he started out with his group Evil Minded Gangstas. He also released solo albums, including Be Yo' Self in 1996, Big Syke Daddy in 2001 and Street Commando in 2002.

However, some of his most memorable appearances came on his collaborations with 2Pac, including "Check Out Time" and "All Eyes on Me."  Syke talked about meeting Pac during a 2009 interview and how it changed his life.

"I met him actually through a guy named Surge," he explained. "And Surge brought him to the hood ... Surge use to play my music, so [Tupac] liked my music, so we started hanging out, and after that we became friends, and the next thing you know we were on tour."

We send our condolences to Big Syke's family and friends.

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