Dallas Penn, former co-host of The Combat Jack Show and longtime writer, has died. His wife, who goes by Chocolate Snowflake (C.S.), made the announcement on his personal Facebook page Wednesday morning (May 1).
“Dallas has ascended to the music that was waiting for him,” she wrote. “From September 1970 to April 2024, he always said it don’t stop, it won’t stop, and he’s waiting for us all at the Funkadelic Stevie Wonder Sean Price party in the sky. Rest my love and see you in our other lifetimes. Love you always, for all time.”
Upon further exploration of Penn’s page, it’s clear how sick he was. On April 18, Penn, who was diabetic, revealed he was typing from a hospital bed and being moved to the intensive care unit. He also noted he’d been enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program and the latest health issue he was facing.
“I’m enrolled in the WTC health program which tracks the various acute ailments being suffered by the folks exposed within the pit,” he explained. “In the last few days I experienced what should have been a fatal bowel perforation. The opening was larger than a quarter and leaking gas, fluids and waste material thru my gutular setup. The old man on the street whom we castigate for being homeless would at least be honest when he says I’m filled with s###. My kidneys shut down. They stopped completely. My blood pressure sank and my heart was packing it’s bag.”
He continued, “I looked towards my wife one last time and I promised her I would find her in the multiverse. C.S. said eff the MCU, I’m going to see you in the ICU. Then she put me in the care of a trusted physician who held my hand as I crossed thru the dark side. I confronted many Dallas’ on this journey. The Dallas Who Remains is the one sending the shout to the Internets. Thank you for your love and your concern. I’m still standing. Better than I’ve ever been. Feeling like a true survivor. Smiling like a little kid. We’ll chat sooner than later!”
Sadly, Penn wasn’t able to bounce back. A plethora of posts have flooded Twitter (X) with memories of Penn. Eric and Jeff Rosenthal of ItsTheReal touched on Penn’s contributions to New York City, fashion and Hip-Hop culture.
“Our hearts are heavy with the Dallas Penn news,” they wrote. “For the best part of the past two decades, our NYC/hip-hop/internets lives have been intertwined. We’re grateful for the time we had and so sorry it was this limited. May the Polo discounts fly wherever you are, Dallas. RIP.”
Penn talked about his love for Polo and other fashion brands in a 2014 piece he wrote for Complex. He wrote, “Polo, Guess, Reebok, and Timberland were basically my high school staples, especially in my junior and senior years. The Polo rugby was harder than anything anyone has ever made. The color palette just popped off the shirt and those crests just signified luxury to a working class kid like myself. I really haven’t deviated from the brand too much since the mid-’80s. Yeah, I’ve bought all kinds of crap that fell under the auspices of hip-hop clothing but none of that s### was as timeless as Polo RL was/is.”
DJ Rob Swift of the X-ecutioners was also moved to pen a tribute, writing, “RIP @Dallas_Penn. Some who come across this tweet won’t realize how much of a trailblazer you were in Hip Hop. It was you who introduced me and many of my peers to internet streaming in the ‘90s. Thank you for your contributions to our culture. I’ll always remember your smile.”
The Combat Jack Show was launched in 2010 by former managing editor of The Source, Reginald Joseph Ossé (Combat Jack). In addition to Penn, co-hosts included Premium Pete, DJ Benhameen, AKing and Just Blaze. In 2013, The Combat Jack Show became the flagship of a network of podcasts founded by Ossé known as the Loud Speakers Network. Ossé died in 2017 from colon cancer at the age of 48.
Around the 11-minute mark of the below YouTube video, Penn talks about needing a toe removed due to diabetes-related complications.