A 21-year-old rapper from Bristol called TkorStretch has been named as the victim of a fatal stabbing that took place at Notting Hill Carnival over the bank holiday weekend.
On his Instagram page, a friend shared a statement in which they paid tribute to the young musician, as well as lamenting the nature of his death.
It reads: “2 years ago a young 19-year-old man came from Bristol to meet me at my studio with his dad.
“His name was Takayo Nembhard AKA TkorStretch.
“That meeting took us on a journey.
“We recorded some great music together.
“His talent was endless and I can’t tell you guys how close he was to greatness!”
The statement continued: “So it’s with a heavy heart that I bring the news that Takayo (TkorStretch) passed away last night.
“He came from Bristol to simply have a good time at the carnival and this is the end result!
“My deepest condolences to TK’s mother and father, two sisters, girlfriend and child that will never meet his father.
“TK was a good kid, a good guy, and what has happened breaks my heart.
“Rest in peace my friend.”
TkorStretch had been making a name for himself on the music scene in Bristol and beyond, with his music videos amassing more than one million views.
His latest video ‘Flamenco Dance’ has more than 500,000 views on one YouTube page, and a review from 2021 had marked him out as ‘one to watch out for’, praising his ‘dynamic style’.
In an interview from the same year, he explained how proud he was to have his music noticed.
He said: “My proudest moment so far was getting 100k on my first music video ever.
“I wasn’t expecting 10k and the first day it hit 14k, I couldn’t believe it.
“The fact that people like it makes me know that I’m not doing this for no reason.
“It makes me want to be better and be more consistent.”
He also explained his decision to wear a mask on his face during videos and performances, stating that he wanted his face to be unknown so that he could live his life without being recognised.
TkorStretch said: “I don’t want my face to be the face everyone knows.
“I don’t want to go to Tesco and have people know that it's me who makes the music.
“I don’t care about fame, I just want to make music and have people enjoy it.
“I don’t mind talking to people, don't get me wrong, but if I'm with my mum or sisters or something I just want to be able to chill out.”
While police have not officially named him, a statement after the stabbing read: “At around 8pm on Monday August 29 officers became aware of a stabbing in Ladbroke Grove, under the Westway flyover.
“Officers provided emergency first aid to the victim – a 21-year-old man – until the arrival of London ambulance service paramedics.
“They were able to extract him through significant crowds in challenging circumstances to a waiting ambulance.
“He was taken to a west London hospital where, despite the best efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.”
Featured Image Credit: @pacmantv / YouTube / @tkorstretch / Instagram
Tom Wood