WorldStarHipHop founder Lee “Q” O’Denat has died, TMZ reports. He was 43 years old. He died in his sleep on Monday night, according to TMZ. O’Denat started WorldStar as a mixtape-hosting site in 2005. Ultimately, the site gained notoriety as a video aggregator, posting a variety of clips, notably fight videos. The term “WorldStar” has become shorthand for a moment that needs to be captured on video. It’s been used on HBO, and Childish Gambino framed a song around the phrase. Find a statement from the WorldStarHipHop staff about O’Denat’s passing below.
In a 2015 New York Times profile, O’Denat explained his vision for the site. “Hip-hop is for the sex, the drugs, the violence, the beefs, the culture,” he said. “That’s the competitiveness of hip-hop, so I felt like the site needed to be R-rated.”
In addition to its aggregated content, WorldStar has hosted countless music videos for artists including Migos, Young Thug, Fetty Wap, Future, and more. A new show inspired by the site, “World Star TV,” is set to air on MTV2 next month.
We ask that you remember Q in your prayers and raise a toast to the sky in his name. RIP 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ixsULQil32
— WORLDSTARHIPHOP (@WORLDSTAR) January 24, 2017
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