It’s been exactly a year since the senseless and tragic death of budding 21-year-old Toronto rap star, Houdini. Born Dimarjio Antonio Jenkins, Houdini died from injuries sustained in a brazen daytime attack in Toronto’s Entertainment District. Two other people were injured in the shooting.
Houdini’s budding stardom was apparent to most Canadian hip-hop heads, but the response to his death really paid testament to how far his music had reached. Various celebrities from across the map paid their respects, and droves of fans mourned his loss on social media. Other artists have also paid tribute, with frequent collaborator and friend J Neat recently dropping the “Houligan Flow” video.
Houdini, who grew up in Brampton, was one of the most-streamed independent Canadian rappers, with 9.2 million plays on Spotify in 2019.
A year after his passing, those numbers continue to climb. His biggest songs on the platform include “Backseat” (featuring J Neat) which sits at over 8.36M streams, “Late Nights” (with Burna Bandz) which has more than 6M streams, and the solo gem, “Myself,” which is just shy of 6M.
Most recently, Houdini’s “Part of Me” was released posthumously in April along with an accompanying video which was co-directed by Houdini (and Michael Vincent) before he passed.
Today, on the anniversary of his passing, social media is once again filled with messages paying tribute to Houdini, as it’s clear his fanbase will continue to keep his legacy alive.
Houdini wasn’t given the opportunity to realize his full potential as an artist, but he’s blessed us with a catalogue of gems that will forever remain a part of Toronto and Canada’s hip-hop history.
Rest In Peace, Houdini
You can follow @Houdini on Instagram.
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