Catalan newspapers have now confirmed the identity of the victim in last night's stabbing: the renowned Dominican rapper Leonardo Flores Ozuna, more famously known as "Monkey Black." The 27-year-old rapper was a pioneer of the urban merengue genre, which deals with topics of inner-city poverty, crime, vice and which is rapped in the island vernacular.
Monkey Black had been living in Spain for four years, but his productions maintained the language of the Dominican streets. Catalunya's Mossos d'Esquadra have not released details concerning the attackers beyond their nationality: Spanish.
According to some unconfirmed reports, the knife fight was sparked by Monkey Black's attempt to seduce the partner of a Gitano. If confirmed, this incident promises to strain relations between the Dominican and Gitano community.
So far, the comments sections of the major Spanish news sites covering the stabbing are largely filled with racist comments. Many commenters have made veiled jokes around Monkey Black's nickname, while numerous others concentrate on the "poor quality" of the Dominican vernacular utilized by Leonardo in his songs.
Artists like Eminem and 50 Cent have had a tremendous influence in the evolution of Dominican music, and one of Monkey Black's videos wouldn't stand out of place in a BET hip-hop line-up. Vakeró, el Lápiz Consciente, and Mozart La Para -- who along with Monkey Black formed the core of urban merengue -- have expressed their sadness at the death of their colleague.
It's unclear what legacy Monkey Black will have, but it's obvious that his talent was extinguished before reaching full brightness.
