Kareem 'Ka' Ryan, underground rapper and longtime firefighter, died on Saturday, Oct. 12 of unknown causes, a statement posted Monday on his Instagram account said. "My king, my hero, my best friend.

Ka, an independent Brooklyn rapper and long-time city firefighter, has died. He was 52. The musician, born Kaseem Ryan, “died unexpectedly” Saturday in New York, according to a statement posted on his official Instagram. The post added Ka was born in Brownsville in 1972 and “lived a life of service—to his city, to his community, and to his music.”