Nembhard was attacked at Ladbroke Grove at around 8pm on Monday and had to be pulled from the crowd by police, who gave him emergency first aid. He later died in a nearby hospital.
A drill rapper under the name TkorStretch, he had over 10,000 monthly active users on Spotify, with one remixed version of his songs having amassed over 300,000 streams alone. A talented footballer, Nembhard had also been part of the Bristol Rovers Academy until he was 16.
He’d been at Carnival with his sister and friends, and was also expecting a child with his girlfriend. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has described being “sickened by this awful attack”.
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Nembhard’s manager, Chris Patrick, meanwhile, has shared a lengthier statement recalling when they first met and how TKorStretch was on the cusp of achieving a lot, with major labels having expressed interest.
“Two 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,” Patrick said on Instagram.
“That meeting took us on a journey. We recorded some great music together. His talent was endless and I can tell you guys he was close to greatness.
“So it’s with a heavy heart that I bring the news that Takayo passed away last night. He came from Bristol to simply have a good time at the London Carnival and this is the end result.”
I am sickened by this awful attack. Violence has no place on our streets and we are doing everything in our power to root it out.
I urge anyone with information to contact the police on 101 or anonymously by @CrimestoppersUK. There is no honour in staying silent. https://t.co/5jO9g0qkHU
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) August 30, 2022
“My deepest condolences to TK’s mother, father, brother, 2 sisters, girlfriend and child that will never meet his father. TK was a good kid, a good guy and what happened breaks my heart. Rest in peace my friend.”
Following the incident, police issued a Section 60 order on the surrounding area, which gave them greater powers for stop and search until the early hours of Tuesday morning (1 a.m.).
Police said that 209 arrests had been made by early Tuesday, including 46 for assault, 36 for possession of drugs, 33 for possession of an offensive weapon, 27 public order offences and eight counts of sexual assaults.
The Metropolitan Police has begun an investigation and hope that, with the hundreds of people around the Westway flyover at the time of the stabbing, they’ll be able to find the culprit.
Commander Alison Heydari has said: “The atmosphere over the past two days has been largely positive and good natured as Carnival should be.
“Regrettably, on Monday evening we saw a number of violent incidents and a 21-year-old man has lost his life. Our thoughts are with his family as they come to terms with their terrible loss.”
