As 2025 comes to a close Capital B Atlanta reflects on the passing of an icon who left a lasting impression on music fans around the city.
While most remember Malcolm-Jamal Warner for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984-1992, many in Atlanta also know him as someone who made a name for himself around the city playing bass guitar with his band Biological Misfits.
One of his last performances was July 3 at Buteco in Grant Park, where the band hosted a monthly jam session on the first Thursday of the month. The electric performances blending soul, funk, hip-hop, and acid jazz featured Warner alongside David Whild, Dashill Smith, Rodney Edge, Landon Anderson, Khari Cabral Simmons, and DJ LV.
For Yvonne Dragon, and her husband Randall, nights out to hear the Biological Misfits had become a much-needed opportunity for the busy Buckhead parents and entrepreneurs to block off time for themselves. One of her favorite parts of the band’s appearances was how all the members played off of one another and created a unique vibe for the audience.
“They [were] pretty unique,” Dragon told Capital B Atlanta. “[They drew] many different crowds, but everyone is music lovers. It’s not very formal. It’s kind of like a family reunion type atmosphere.”
Three weeks ago, when the Dragons went to Buteco for a mini HBCU reunion with friends from Hampton University, Yvonne said Warner stood out on the patio’s stage but he was happy to let the other band members take the lead.
“He could have easily been the star of the band, but I think he enjoyed being a member,” Dragon recalled. “He was very humble, very approachable, very private guy, [he] was all about the music.”
After learning of the 54-year-old’s passing after drowning while on a family vacation in Costa Rica, Dragon tearfully shared a connection that many fans can appreciate: “I think everybody feels that way, whether they saw him perform or not. He was your big brother, your little brother, or your first crush.”
Another memorable night for Atlanta music fans was when Warner made an appearance for a Tribe Called Quest cover tribute put on by Dashill.
“I sit in, I play bass on “Bonita Applebum” and I do “Check the Rhime” with Dashill,” Warner recounted in a 2023 interview with HipHop DX. “And the show was so fire that I basically ended up becoming a part of the show. And every time we did it, the show, I would just end up playing bass or more songs and splitting verses on more songs with Dashill.”
According to the music site No Treble, Warner took up playing bass in his mid-20s and studied at the Musicians Institute and Berklee Online to learn from legends like Todd Johnson, Steve Bailey, and Anthony Wellington.
“I became a bass player. Because, through the music and poetry, there are ways that I can express myself that I can’t as an actor or director,” Warner said in an interview on NPR’s All Things Considered.
Warner also performed lead for the jazz-funk group Miles Long, which booked two Valentine’s Day sold-out shows at City Winery earlier this year. He also made an appearance as the featured musical guest at Friday Jazz at the High Museum of Art.
In 2015, Warner received a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song “Jesus Children,” for the Robert Glasper Experiment’s version of the Stevie Wonder classic “Jesus Children of America,” which also featured Lalah Hathaway. He was also nominated for a Grammy in 2023 for his best spoken word poetry album, Hiding In Plain View. Before the Grammy win, Warner released other critically acclaimed spoken word albums: Miles Long Mix Tape (2003), and Love and Other Social Issues (2007).
In addition to performing music and spoken word, Warner filmed the Fox series The Resident in Atlanta for six seasons and ultimately made the city his home with his wife and daughter.
Last year, Warner launched the video podcast Not All Hood with co-hosts Weusi Baraka and Candace Kelley, exploring diverse experiences in the Black community.
“When we talk about the Black community, we tend to speak of it as a monolith, when the reality is there are so many different facets of the Black community, and we wanted to have a space where we can really explore, discuss, and acknowledge all of those different aspects,” Warner told People magazine.
Tributes to Warner poured in across social media, with fans sharing clips of his music and TV appearances. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens released a statement on Instagram, noting:
“He was a gifted musician, an inspiring speaker, and a cultural force who left a lasting mark on Atlanta. From his soulful set at the Mayor’s After the Masked Ball to his powerful presence during a creative workshop at this year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival, Malcolm brought authenticity, artistry, and heart to everything he touched.”
One night last year, New York music journalist and Atlanta transplant Karen Good Marable happened to be hanging out with friends and her daughter at a restaurant in Grant Park when they heard the sounds of a band jamming.
“We heard this music down the street, and it was a live band, and it was amazing,” Marable told Capital B Atlanta. When they walked over to check out the music, her daughter was the first to spot Warner.
“My daughter was like, ‘Mommy, that’s Theo. Can I go say hi?’” In a video captured on her friend’s phone, Marable’s daughter can be seen walking over to Warner, who gives the girl a big smile when she says, “Hi, Theo Huxtable.”
“I’d heard him play, and I’d heard the poetry before,” Marable said. “I had heard all the things, but I didn’t know he played like that. It was real funky. I mean, he was just happy and doing his thing.”
Marable said she’ll always remember the kindness Warner showed her daughter that night and the sight of a “beautiful man” simply doing what he loved.
“It was special, because even after living in New York for 25 years and being a music journalist, you see everybody. Nothing is really shocking. But to be in Atlanta and to [see Malcolm] that night … It’s always a little surreal because he’s an icon. Period. He’s an icon.”
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