Myron Yarde, 17, stabbed in New Cross last week. Pic: Metropolitan Police

An online funding campaign has raised over £13,000 for the funeral of the young rapper stabbed to death in New Cross last week, amid an outpouring of support on social media.

Myron Yarde, 17, was an aspiring Lewisham rapper who was stabbed in New Cross on Sunday, April 3, after a fight broke out involving between six and ten people. The murder has raised fresh concerns about teenage gangs and ‘postcode rivalries’ in south London.

Police were responding to reports of an “altercation” between six to ten people on News Cross Road on Sunday night when they found Myron ‘Mdot’ Yarde in nearby Camplin street, bleeding heavily, having been stabbed multiple times.The teenager was rushed to a nearby hospital, but died from his injuries around 9pm that evening.

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Reeves said “At this stage, I am still trying to establish what may have sparked the events which resulted in Myron’s death, so that we can build a clearer picture of what has led to a young man with a promising future losing his life.

“I would like to thank those people who have come forward to speak to us and to appeal for anyone else who saw or heard a disturbance taking place in Camplin street to get in contact.”

Police arrested two boys age 15 and 16 last week. Two other teenagers previously arrested on suspicion of murdering Yarde were released on bail.

One 15-year-old was charged with murder and will go on trial in the Autumn. The defendant, who cannot be named, has been remanded in custody.

The crowdfunding campaign for the murdered Lewisham rapper has collected almost double the initial goal of £7500, garnering donations from almost 1000 people in three days, and friends and fans have flooded social media with tributes honouring his memory on social media using the hashtag ‘#ripmdot‘.

Lewisham grime artist Novelist said on Twitter: “Just last week I called telling MDOT I’m gonna bring him studio and life’s getting better. My heart man, he was just tryna live. RIP MDOT” – he also released an instrumental track on Soundcloud in memory of the young rapper. Giggs, another Lewisham grime artist, also posted a tribute to Mdot on Instagram.

Yarde was studying music performance at Big Creative Academy in Walthamstow before his death. Managing director of BCE, Alexis Michaelides, said: “Myron was a lovely young man who was an inspiration to his classmate and his death has left his tutors, fellow students and staff at BCE truly shocked.

“[He] loved music and dedicated his time to his music and studies and will be truly missed.”

Yarde’s teacher and fellow artist, Tor Cesay, tweeted her respects, and told The Guardian that Myron: “had an exceptional talent for writing songs. He always took on and thought about constructive criticism. His flow, lyrical techniques and stage presence were always developing.

“In the short time I taught him, I saw him grow and mature. His absence will leave a big hole in our class and as his teacher I am genuinely heartbroken by this news. I would tell him, ‘Myron you are going to make it’, and he believed it.

“This is going to be hard to get over. Myron has impacted [on] me as his tutor and he was a pleasure to teach. I will never forget him. I am devastated,” said Cesay.

Read about South East London Gangs in ELL’s week-long series: