The Educated Rapper

The Educated Rapper (born Jeffrey Campbell) was a member of ’80s Brooklyn hip-hop group UTFO. The British-born rapper was also commonly known as EMD (short for Educated Rapper, MD).

His verse on UTFO’s hip-hop classic “Roxanne, Roxanne” is frequently cited as influential for its vocabulary and rapid-fire rhyme scheme—it was mimicked by both Roxanne Shanté (on “Roxanne’s Revenge”) and The Real Roxanne (on “The Real Roxanne”). EMD was shouted out by Nas on his 2006 song “Where Are They Now,” and by Ad-Rock on De La Soul’s 2000 song “Squat!”

On June 3, 2017, EMD passed away at the age of 54 after a battle with cancer.