Gene “Groove” Allen, a New York City rapper of the 1980s-’90s trio Groove B. Chill who went on to appear in the 1990 movie House Party and 1993’s What’s Love Got To Do With It, died Wednesday at his home in Maryland.
The news was announced by family members to TMZ, which reported his age as 62. An IMdB bio indicates he was 60.
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A native of Long Island, New York, Allen, along with Daryl “Chill” Mitchell and Belal “DJ Belal” Miller, started rapping as part of the 1980s New York group The Uptown Crew before the three branched out to form their own trio Groove B. Chill. Though they released only one studio album, 1990’s Starting From Zero, the trio gained wider visibility when they appeared as characters in the 1990 film House Party. Allen and Mitchell returned the following year for House Party 2.
Allen would go on to have small roles in 1992’s Boomerang and 1993’s What’s Love Got To Do With It before leaving the music industry.
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In recent years, Allen devoted himself to community service and raising funds for military families as president and CEO of Groove E. Productions, which produced, among other projects, a House Party Immersive tour described as featuring a “90s vibe with a new jack swing feel.”
In a video posted on his Instagram account earlier this week, Allen raps at a recent party and captions the video, “2025!!! I aint playing…”