Killed by bullets on the night of Thursday to Friday, October 22, Einar, a 19-year-old Swedish rapper, leaves many fans in mourning.
His real name Nils Kurt Erik Einar Grönberg, the young man, already the target of a kidnapping attempt in 2020, was hit by several shots at the foot of a building in the residential area of Hammarby Sjöstad, near the center of the capital. Shots had been reported to the police around 11 p.m., in this popular and usually quiet area.
Found seriously injured, he died on the spot despite emergency aid, said Towe Hagg, a spokeswoman for the Stockholm police.
As they always do, Swedish police have not officially confirmed the identity of the victim, which was revealed by several media outlets overnight. A murder investigation has been opened and the police are interviewing witnesses to identify one or more suspects. Very popular in Sweden, Einar was a real local star.
Success in 2019
The success had arrived in the career of the young man in 2019, following the release of his first videos of him rapping. It is notably thanks to the title “Katten i trakten” (The cat in the sector), that he had reached the first place of singles in Sweden. He was the most watched rapper on Spotify in the country in 2019.
Many of his songs revolved around themes such as delinquency, drugs and guns. The artist had received numerous awards in Sweden, which showcases the hip-hop scene a lot.
The artist involved in settling scores
The young rapper also had public conflicts with his rival Yasin, who was sentenced in July to ten months in prison for a failed project to kidnap Einar in 2020. This is also not unlike, in France , the rivalry between rappers Booba and Kaaris, who fought in August 2018 at Orly airport. According to Swedish media, Einar was subject to protective measures.
If this kidnapping project had failed, Einar had indeed been kidnapped a few weeks later, without Yasin being involved this time. During this kidnapping, the was notably beaten, robbed, photographed in humiliating conditions and subjected to blackmail, according to the Swedish justice. Haval Khalil, another rapper, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in this case. , for complicity in kidnapping and theft. The case is currently under appeal. According to public radio SR, quoted by AFP, Einar, who was already due to testify in the trial at first instance but never showed up, was called to testify again next week.
Swedish media report that Einar himself was suspected of being involved in a knife attack at a restaurant in central Stockholm a few days ago.
“A warm and loving guy”
Taking social media by storm, thousands of fans and friends of the rapper have expressed their grief.
“Einar was a real brother to me and I will miss him so much. We just released our first record last week and it seems so strange to me since I spoke to him just a day ago, ”producer Trobi wrote in a comment on Instagram.
“It wasn’t supposed to end like this. The ‘Nisse’ (diminutive of Nils) that I had the honor to know was a warm and loving guy and that is how I will remember you forever, ”singer Victor Leksell testified on his social networks .
Sweden is facing an increase in armed settlements. This drama comes after a series of assaults, kidnappings and criminal cases in recent years which illustrate the growing violence on the small stage of Swedish “gangsta rap”.