Incognito death: stabbed rapper told how London violence existed long before drill rap in interview for his death

Line-up: Sidique Kamar, 23, known as Incognito, circled left, was stabbed to death in Camberwell last night. He is pictured with DJ Tim Westwood and Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, circled right, who was shot dead in May
Lucia Binding3 August 2018

A London "drill" rapper who was killed in a knife attack had recently spoken about the genre contributing to violence in the capital.

Sidique Kamara, the 23-year-old father of a four-year-old daughter, was stabbed to death outside a block of flats in Camberwell on Wednesday amid fears of a bloody gang feud.

He went by the rap name of Incognito as a member of Moscow17 – and was the second member of the collective to be killed on the same street in three months.

Rapper Sidique Kamara, aka Incognito, was stabbed to death in Camberwell

In an interview with Link Up TV in June, Mr Kamara said that crime had long existed in London before drill rap, though the genre may have contributed.

"You see with the crime that's happening right now, music does influence it. You've got to put your hands up and say drill music does influence it," he said.

"But knife crime and gun crime has been going on way before drill music, so if you want to talk about 10 years, 20 years, people were still getting cheffed up (attacked with knifes)."

He spoke about possible solutions to ending the violence, adding: "There (are) many ways to solve it - you can bring out youth clubs, you can bring out many other things, invest money in other things to help the community, but you don't want to do that - you just want to use an excuse with drill music."

Earlier this year, Mr Kamara and another member of Moscow17 were cleared of murdering teenager Abdirahman Mohamed, a brother of a member of Zone 2, at the Old Bailey.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has called on social media platforms such as YouTube to take down videos that glamorise violence.

In May, 17-year-old Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, a fellow member of the drill group, was shot dead in May just a few yards from where Mr Kamara was attacked.

At the time of Mr Ainsworth’s death, his mother Pretana Morgan called for a halt to the wave of violence in the capital.

"Let my son be the last and be an example to everyone. Just let it stop. What must be, must be,” she said.

Triple stabbing: A forensic tent was in place at the scene
Nigel Howard

Moscow17’s tracks have received hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

Some feature references to other groups in the capital - including long-running rivals Zone 2 from Peckham.

In one track, Moscow17 tells Zone 2 to “check the scoreboard” while another asks “How you gonna make it even”.

Floral tributes are left in Warham Street in Camberwell, south London, where Moscow17 rapper Incognito was stabbed to death
PA

In response, a Zone 2 lyric warns rivals they will “roll up and burst them”.

Two other people were taken to hospital by air ambulance following Wednesday's stabbing. Scotland Yard said that two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of murder

Speaking outside the family home on John Ruskin Street, close to the scene of the crime, latest stabbing victim Mr Kamara’s father Lamin Kama, said: "Our family are in a lot of distress at the moment."

A neighbour, who said his name was Andy, said: "My dog was going crazy and when I looked out there was this guy lying on the floor."

He said he did not see his injuries clearly, but "there was blood".

Another neighbour, Sidney Virgo, 80, said: "I knew this was going to happen. As soon as kids start gathering that's when something like this happens."

A forensic tent was still in place at midday on Thursday at the spot where Mr Kamara died.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, who is leading the latest investigation, said: "Another young man has tragically and needlessly lost his life through an act of violence.

"We are keeping an open mind about the positive motive for this attack, but at this early stage one line of enquiry is this being gang-related.

"I'd like to reassure the community that we have made two arrests and we are working around the clock to establish what happened and bring those responsible to justice.

"However, we cannot do this alone and I'd appeal to any witnesses or anyone with information to get in touch with us as a matter of urgency," he continued.

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