'The Humpty Dance' Singer, Tupac Producer Shock G Dies at 57

Shock G — seen above at a 1990 performance with Tupac Shakur — was found dead Thursday in a Tampa hotel room. The man born Gregory Edward Jacobs was just 57 years old.

TMZ reports the lead singer of Digital Underground was found with no signs of trauma. No cause of death has been reported.

Shock G was considered a legend in the world of hip-hop, driving Digital Undergound to become a uniquely whimsical act that paid tribute to the funk of the '70s as well as to Black radical politics.

Much of that was lost on listeners of the group's #11 smash "The Humpty Dance," the music video for which featured Shock G in his trademark Humpty Hump get-up of novelty glasses and a fake nose, but long-term fans viewed the group as an essential part of hip-hop history.

Digital Underground had been formed in 1987 and released its first album, "Sex Packets," in 1990. In 1991, Tupac Shakur appeared on the group's "Same Song," a modest dance hit; it was the legend's first published work.

Shock G produced Tupac's breakthrough single, "I Get Around" (1993). He also worked with KRS-One, Dr. Dre and Prince.

Digital Underground recorded and toured through 2008, then disbanded.