NEW YORK, NY - MAY 19: Mix engineer Bob Power speaks during GRAMMY Pro Art of the Craft: Sounds of the City on May 19, 2016 in New York, New York.NEW YORK, NY – MAY 19: Mix engineer Bob Power speaks during GRAMMY Pro Art of the Craft: Sounds of the City on May 19, 2016 in New York, New York. (Photo by Cindy Ord/WireImage for The Recording Academy)

Bob Power, the studio engineer and producer whose meticulous ear helped shape some of hip-hop’s most enduring recordings, has died at 74. DJ Premier announced the news Monday on social media, writing, “R.I.P. to one of the iLLest Engineers of all time,” and noting Power’s contributions to albums by D’Angelo, A Tribe Called Quest, and Erykah Badu. For many listeners, his name may not have been front-facing, but his sonic imprint was unmistakable.

Power’s résumé traces a vital arc through the 1990s and early 2000s. He worked on A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, De La Soul’s De La Soul Is Dead, D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar, The Roots’ Things Fall Apart, Common’s Be, and J Dilla’s The Shining, among others. His approach favored depth and warmth, giving low-end frequencies room to breathe while preserving lyrical clarity. The result was a sound that felt both intimate and expansive.

Born in Chicago in 1952, Power studied music theory at Webster College in St. Louis before moving west to work in commercial production and television. By the early 1980s, he had returned to New York, where he became part of a creative network that included members of the Native Tongues collective. In later years, he joined New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, where he taught as an arts professor and mentored aspiring engineers.

A Master of the Mix, Remembered

Tributes from artists underscored both his technical skill and his generosity. Questlove wrote, “Whether you know it or not, one of these albums changed your life,” calling him “a more engaging, enthusiastic, laser focused craftsman of sound.” Erykah Badu described his passing as “a great loss for the music community today,” adding, “We appreciate you. You taught me soo much. Baduizm is thee most bass heavy singing album in history. … I’m listening tonight in your honor.”

For those who value the craft behind the console, Power’s legacy endures in grooves that still resonate. His work remains embedded in records that continue to influence new generations of musicians and listeners alike.