WorldStarHipHop Founder Lee “Q” O’Denat Dead at 43

WorldStarHipHop Founder Lee “Q” O’Denat Dead at 43

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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