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Ice-T is among the many rappers mourning the death of Chino XL. AllHipHop first reported his untimely passing on Monday (July 29) and the news quickly spread across social media, with countless people paying their respects to the Bronx-bred MC.

The Original Gangster, however, took his time to pen his tribute to his longtime friend. An Instagram post arrived on Tuesday (July 30) that read: "This one REALLY hurts… Yesterday morning I got the awful news and did not want to believe it was true.. Chino was so ALIVE.. What!!? Unfortunately it was true.. I rarely shed a tear… I’ve lost so many homies but THIS one got me Fd up.

"People know he was an incredible MC. But Chino was a truly GREAT MAN. This is a tragedy. My love and condolences go out to his family. Homie you a

LL COOL J's 14th studio album, The FORCE (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy), will arrive on September 6 via Def Jam Recordings/Virgin Music Group. The highly anticipated 14-track record features Nas, Eminem, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Saweetie, Snoop Dogg, Don Pablito, J-S.A.N.D., Mad Squablz and Sona Jobarteh.

 The FORCE marks LL’s first new album in more than a decade. Produced in its entirety by A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, The FORCE represents years of intense work, which the Queens MC likens to “learning how to rap again.”

The album highlights new music styles from LL COOL J and covers heady topical themes like racial injustice, law enforcement abuses, isolation and observations brought on by the pandemic and legacy as well