Dancehall veteran Powerman is confronting yet another crushing loss after his 25-year-old son, Christopher Davey, was fatally stabbed in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday evening—the second son the entertainer has lost in just 16 months.
Dancehall Mag spoke with the distraught deejay, whose given name is Michael Davey, as he remained at the crime scene reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with police officers.
According to Powerman, Christopher’s mother had sent him to a nearby laundry when he became involved in an altercation with two men near the corner of Church and Albany avenues.
“His mother had sent him to the laundry, and he was less than a block away when he got into an altercation with two men armed with a knife and cutlass,” Powerman said. “They stabbed him and killed him.”
Police processed the scene as investigators examined surveillance footage of the deadly attack. The identities of the assailants and a possible motive were not immediately known.
The killing has ripped open a wound that had barely begun to heal. In May last year, Powerman lost another son, a 32-year-old trailer mechanic, in what was described as a case of misadventure.
“This is a lot to deal with,” he said, struggling with the weight of his grief. “Mi just lose a son—Christopher’s older brother—last year May, and now this.”
Tragedy has visited the Davey family before. In March 2019, Powerman’s parents, Brenton and Loris Davey, died within hours of each other, leaving the entertainer to mourn both his mother and father on the same day.
Powerman rose to prominence during dancehall’s vibrant 1990s era. An original member of the Monster Shack Crew, he was closely associated with the Shocking Vibes camp and artistes including Beenie Man and Baby Wayne.
His breakthrough came with the 1991 Steely and Clevie-produced hit Stone. His catalogue also includes Gal A Call, Serious Things and Miss Kill and Bury.
Now, however, the veteran entertainer faces another heartbreak away from the music—the loss of a second son in little more than a year.
