Brooklyn rapper shot and killed by 16-year-old stepson
Brooklyn rapper Sinthoro Upper has been murdered by his 16-year-old stepson.
The 43-year-old rapper (real name Jamel Davis) had recently found success with his song ‘Slidin’, which was going viral and had been used by 50 Cent in an Instagram reel.
According to the New York Daily News, Sinthoro was shot in his Brooklyn home on April 12th, with their apartment located in NYCHA’s Walt Whitman Houses on Cumberland Walk near Carlton Ave in Fort Greene.
The shooting took place at around 10:50am, related to an argument over smoking in their apartment. Sinthoro was reportedly expecting a baby with his stepson’s mother and didn’t want the unborn baby exposed to secondhand smoke.
Sinthoro was taken to the New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and died of his injuries. Police are currently searching for the 16-year-old for questioning.
Sinthoro’s song ‘Slidin’ samples Sade’s ‘Kiss of Life’ and has been receiving plays on local hip-hop radio stations. It also received co-signs from Lloyd Banks, Rich The Kid, Fredro Starr, and others.
Following his death, his friend, Anthony Mabry, said, “He was doing the music so long and they just put his music on the radio. He was grinding all of his life … God finally gave him his blessing within the month of this happening.”
He continued, “It’s devastating for the community because we were all rooting for him and he finally got his shot and now he was taken away. He is 43 and people were doubting him, people saying, ‘Pass the mic.’ But he stayed with it. And he was finally getting that taste – and it’s like, you took it from him.”
Mabry described Sinthoro as a “brother” and “best friend” while revealing his hurt over the death.