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Sinthoro Upper was finally getting his moment when his 16-year-old stepson took it all away.
The Fort Greene rapper, whose real name was Jamel Davis, died Sunday morning after being shot in the upper body inside his Walt Whitman Houses apartment during a heated argument over smoking.
He was 43 years old, and his song “Slidin” had just started gaining serious traction on local hip-hop radio stations and across social media platforms.
For decades, Davis grinded through the music industry without catching a real break, but everything shifted when his track started circulating.
According to the NY Daily News, 50 Cent even soundtracked an Instagram reel with “Slidin” back in March, a co-sign that meant everything to an artist who’d been waiting his whole life for validation.
Other artists like Lloyd Banks, Rich The Kid, Fredro Starr, and even boxer Zab Judah to had co-signed the song.
In a podcast interview on “Talk Ya Talk” just three weeks before his death, Davis couldn’t contain his excitement about finally seeing his name blow up.
“I look on the phone and say, ‘What, 50?’” he told the hosts, still in disbelief that the mogul had recognized his work.
The community had been rooting for Davis, who wasn’t just a rapper but someone who organized basketball tournaments for neighborhood kids and co-created a clothing line called “Poverty” with his brother.
He had two kids of his own and was trying to build something real for his family.
Davis was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His stepson remains wanted for questioning, and as reported by ABC 7 New York, no arrests have been made yet.
A memorial with dozens of candles now sits outside Fort Greene Park, where kids who loved him came to pay their respects and break down in tears.
