Sinthoro Upper, a rising rapper, was reportedly shot and killed by his stepson following a dispute over weed.
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Tristan Hightower, 16, allegedly shot and killed his rapper stepfather, 43-year-old Jamel Davis, during an argument at the NYCHA Walt Whitman Houses in Fort Greene on April 12, police told The New York Post. Hightower reportedly retrieved a gun from a shoebox in his room after the dispute with Davis, hip-hop stage name Sinthoro Upper, escalated.
According to authorities, the fatal fight began after the boy’s mother, who is three months pregnant, texted him. She expressed concern about him smoking in the apartment, fearing it could harm her unborn baby. This was reportedly an ongoing dispute within the family.
The disagreement escalated into a verbal confrontation, and Davis intervened. The teen then went to his bedroom, retrieved a gun from a shoebox, and shot Davis once in the chest and once in the arm, authorities said.
Davis was taken to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Sinthoro Upper’s Track ‘Slide’ Had Recently Gained Attention From 50 Cent
Sinthoro Upper’s music had recently started gaining attention. His song “Slide” was reportedly picking up traction on local hip-hop stations and had appeared in an Instagram Reel by 50 Cent.
“It’s devastating for the community because we were all rooting for him, and he finally got his shot, and now he was taken away,” the rapper’s friend, Anthony Mabry, told the New York Daily News. “He is 43, and people were doubting him, people saying, ‘Pass the mic! But he stayed with it. And he was finally getting that taste — and it’s like, ‘You took it from him.’”
Hightower was later arrested in the Bronx. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told The Post that he appeared “very disheveled. Like he’s been out on the street since the incident.”
Hightower had two prior domestic incident reports involving his mother from 2025, including one where she told police her son had access to a firearm. Authorities believe this was the same weapon used in the shooting. Kenny stated that he did not know if Hightower had the gun when he was arrested. He also noted that officers needed a warrant to search his backpack.
Hightower faces charges of murder and criminal possession of a loaded firearm. The court will decide if he will be tried as an adult.
“He was doing the music so long, and they just put his music on the radio,” Mabry reflected. “He was grinding all of his life. God finally gave him his blessing within the month of this happening.”