“After almost five incredible years of touring, we are sad to announce Dopey Rotten will no longer be an active member of Dope D.O.D.”…

…Skits Vicious and Jay Reaper will continue to record and perform under the name Dope D.O.D. Songs already recorded with Dopey Rotten will still be released in the future.

Dopey Rotten: “As you guys have noticed I have been ill for quite some time now. I felt exhausted and completely drained after doing shows, while I used to get a boost out of performing. After collapsing at home I had to go in and out of the hospital for all kinds of medical tests. I have slowly started to recover, but I’ve experienced that making music isn’t bringing me the joy as it used to. Hip Hop will always be my passion, but now all I want to do is get better and work on my recovery. Once that has happened I will see what path I will take. I know the crew will remain to be family and I am sure they will continue to prosper with Dope D.O.D. and break new grounds.”

Dope D.O.D.: “No matter what the future brings, Dopey will always be our brother and we will be at his side whenever, wherever. It really hurts to see a friend and band member going through hard times, it had an impact on all of us. During Dopey’s absence we continued to tour and felt a new energy on and off stage. The creative juices we’re beginning to flow again and on a different level. We just want to continue our success and do whats best for all of us. So after coming back from a gig a couple of weeks ago we sat down with Dopey and expressed our thoughts about him getting better and setting goals for Dope D.O.D. So it was decided we each had to go our own way. Although it was a really hard decision we felt this is the best for everyone. We will never forget Dopey’s importance to the group and continue to carry on his legacy.

(Courtesy of dopedod.com)

Pics by Alessio Fanciulli Oxilia x Salad Days Mag – All Rights Reserved