Acclaimed hip-hop manager stabbed to death at NYC party
Legendary hip-hop manager Percy Forrest has passed away at the age of 55 after being stabbed to death in New York City. Forrest, best known for his affiliation with Fat Joe and the Bronx hip-hop scene, was reportedly killed at Agenda Restaurant and Lounge in Astoria, Queens, on November 11th.
According to the Daily Mail, the stabbing took place at around 2:20am, with Percy Forrest rushed to Elmhurst Hospital and dying from his injuries. One person was initially arrested but later released from jail, with police remaining quiet over potential suspects since. Additionally, potential witnesses at the club have apparently been silent regarding the incident.
His daughter, Denise Forrest, who is 33, said in a tribute following his death, “In the music industry overall he was very well known. Him and Fat Joe were best friends.” Percy managed and mentored artists, working with Fat Joe as part of the Terror Squad in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Percy’s wife, Yulonda Paul, said they were “inseparable” since they first met and had big plans to celebrate her 50th birthday. “He was able to get into rooms other people couldn’t get into,” she said. “Basketball players would come into town and want to know the best restaurant to go to. He would get them reservations for places that were hard to get into, he would get you in. Percy was that guy.”
Forrest grew up with Fat Joe and went as far back at preschool, with their friendship thriving across five decades. They first met each other after individually getting into trouble in school and being sat next to each other in front of the headmaster.
“I was the baddest black guy in the school, Joe was the baddest Puerto Rican in the school, and we would always meet each other in the principal’s office,” he said on Elephant Pick. “One day we was looking at each other and was like, ‘Wassup, wassup,’ and we started laughing and became best friends. This was kindergarten. We remained friends throughout the years.”
Percy Forrest was once a member of a dance crew called Up Town’s Hottest until a brawl forced him to pivot away from a performing career and hustle on the streets. Then, Fat Joe reached out and gave him the opportunity to give up that lifestyle by welcoming him to Terror Squad.
“Joe hollered at me one day and said, ‘Yo listen, if you leave the streets alone I’ll help you with this music thing. But you got to leave the streets alone,'” he said. “So I left the streets alone. That’s how I came into the music business and did the whole Terror Squad.”
Friends and admirers took to social media to pay tribute to Percy Forrest. “This one hit different big bro just spoke with you before you went out there smh I got so much to say but some know what to say but I’m going hold you down king,” one person wrote.
A childhood friend added, “This guy was the best dressed since we were kids,” while an Instagram user said, “Damn Percy, you just devastated a whole community of people with this.” Forrest’s impact on both those around him and from afar is clear to see.