Pat Stay, acclaimed battle rapper, identified as victim of fatal Halifax stabbing

Acclaimed Nova Scotia battle rapper Pat Stay was the victim of a fatal stabbing in downtown Halifax early Sunday.

Halifax Regional Police say an autopsy has determined he was the victim of a homicide.

Police said they were called to the 1600 block of Lower Water Street around 12:36 a.m. AT.

Stay was taken to hospital, where he later died.

Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod did not have any information about what led up to the stabbing or whether there were any witnesses.

The Dartmouth, N.S., man was revered for his work in rap battles, where two rappers confront each other in front of an audience using a mixture of boasts, insults and rhymes.

Stay had a large social media following and put out a new track two days ago that has already amassed more than 50,000 views on YouTube.

The video includes a brief quote from Canadian rapper Drake, who praises Stay.

"Pat Stay's definitely one of, if not, the best," he said in the video. On social media, Drake marked his death and called him "one of my fav rappers ever."

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to raise money for Stay's partner and two children. As of Monday, the campaign surpassed $125,000.

In 2015, Stay won a rap battle put on by the hip-hop superstar.

Police are asking anyone with information about the stabbing to call them at 902-490-5020.

Watch a 2012 CBC feature on Pat Stay:

WATCH Battle rapping

12 years ago

Duration 1:48

The CBC's David Thurton introduces us to Pat Stay, a Nova Scotia battle rapper who is competing internationally.

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