Disgraceful rap lyrics about the ‘murder’ of 14-year-old schoolboy Kelyan Bokassa, stabbed to death on a London bus, have been posted online. Kelyan was attacked on the 472 bus and died at the scene on Woolwich Church Street on Tuesday, January 7, at about 2.30pm.
No arrests have been made. Kelyan was an aspiring drill rapper and went by the stage name Grippa. His mother, Mary Bokassa, reported that he had been ‘groomed by gangs’ and ‘exposed to drugs’ before his killing.
While many heart-warming tributes were shared online, there were also sickening lyrics boasting of his ‘murder’, The Mirror reported. A message on Instagram read: “Caught Grippa lackin’ on the 472. Blade in my coat, it’s do or die. He tried jumping off, but the doors don’t slide, hah. Now he’s sittin’ there stiff with the fear in his eyes.”
Kelyan’s mother Mary Bokassa went to see tributes laid for her son where he was killed
(Image: Paddy Hill / Daily Mirror)
Gang violence is prevalent in the area, The Mirror said, and just hours before his death, he posted an ominous plea asking his Instagram followers for a ‘mindy’ – a slang term for a knife.
On Christmas Day, he released a track called ‘Bangers & Mash’ with a video showing him pretending to wave a knife while saying: “I’m the shortest shooter on my block, but I still roll with the longest ting.”
Kelyan was an aspiring drill rapper who went by the stage name Grippa
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Keylan grew up without a father and was taken into social care four years ago. Three months ago, a friend of his, Daejaun Campbell, 15, was killed with a blade nearby. He ran away from social care back to London twice, and documents show he was due in court last November on charges of possessing a machete in a public place on May 3, and he was also due to appear before Bromley magistrates.
He was previously convicted of possessing a Stanley knife and also faced charges of stealing from a shop and failing to surrender to court bail. He had just completed his first day back at Newhaven School in Eltham, a referral unit, after the Christmas break on Tuesday afternoon and was on his way to see social workers by bus when he was attacked.
Mary told the MailOnline: “He was missing for a year and was living on the street. He finally turned up at my doorstep, he was sick, underweight and tattooed.
“He was exposed to drugs. He probably experienced something because I could sense it. He was not himself. If I questioned him, he wouldn’t tell me anything about his friends.”
Mary said Kelyan was groomed by gangs
(Image: Daily Mirror)
She spoke about how she felt seeing the tributes rolling on online for her son. She told The Mirror how it’s “nice that so many people are saying positive things about my son.” But she also told how he had become a “lost” child. She said: “It makes me think about what’s going on in the world. And this is where he became an inspiring rapper because he had no other options.
“He was not given any other opportunities. He was using rap to express his anger. He was using this to cope with his anger. I understand he was angry because of what he went through. The care system just completely broke him. He was taken to care and when he came back from care, all his passion, what he loved the most, had been removed from him, from his identity. He was a child who was literally lost.”
Get the top stories from across London directly to your inbox. Sign up for MyLondon’s The 12 HERE to get the biggest stories every day.