Posted by U.T.F.O. legend Kangol Kid is in the fight of his life after receiving a Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis in February. As Kangol explained in a recent Instagram post, his situation has grown increasingly dire over the last few months. On Wednesday (October 27), Kangol revealed he’d been hospitalized and would undergo surgery the following day.
“Please forgive me for not returning calls and more,” he wrote. “Things have become, and are becoming a little more difficult than imagined. I’ve been admitted again for complications related to my condition. Thank you to those who have been instrumental in my latest ordeal. Your actions have been well received and greatly appreciated. I am blessed to have you by my side through this. I love you all. ~Kang. #kangolkid #kangol #utfo #roxanneroxanne #fuckcancer.”
Veteran New York City Hip Hop promoter Van Silk, who’s in the middle of his own colon cancer battle, is calling for prayers.
“Wishing my brother Kangol beat this disease, as one myself dealing with colon cancer but Stage 2,” he tells HipHopDX. “Everyone, please support my brother Kangol Kid from UTFO who is actually battling colon cancer at Stage 4. I could imagine what he going through. Sending my #Prayers.”
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As scheduled, Kangol was wheeled into surgery on Thursday morning (October 28), but he has yet to post an update on his condition. Speaking to Pix11 News in March, Kangol said he was feeling better after his initial surgery, which required 10 centimeters of his colon to be removed. The 54-year-old also shared the graphic details that led him to get a colonoscopy in the first place.
“There was definitely discomfort in the belly,” he explained. “One of the signs you would see immediately is bleeding, and you’ll notice this as you wipe or you’ll see it in your stool, so I was definitely experiencing that. But what really set it off was I’m in the comfort of my own room and I had to pass gas, and it came out with a substance … it was a bloody mucus.”
Legendary Promoter Van Silk Confirms Educated Rapper Of UTFO Dead At 54
That’s when Kangol decided he needed to go see a doctor right away and got the news nobody wants to hear.
“I didn’t believe it,” he said. “That’s the last thing you want to hear. … when those words were said to me, I fell out inside. I stood up after awhile, spoke to my friends who kept my spirits up through all of this and my mentality just changed, like, ‘You gotta fight this.’”
African-Americans are 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer than any other group of people and 40 percent more likely to die from the disease, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
Kangol was honored by the American Cancer Society in 2012, a first for any Hip Hop artist. Through his Mama Luke Foundation, he’s been focused on raising money and awareness for breast cancer since losing a loved one to the disease. While Kangol has found support from fellow Hip Hop pioneers such as Public Enemy’s Chuck D, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Sir Mix-A-Lot and Roxanne Shanté, his fans have also kept his spirits high.
A GoFundMe has been launched in Kangol’s name to help with medical costs, so he’s able to focus on healing. The goal is set at $10,000 and has currently collected nearly half of that amount. To donate, head here