Einar, a
19-year-old Swedish rapper, was shot dead outside his apartment late Thursday
in Stockholm, reports AFP. Police are on the hunt for suspects. Einar, who used
to rap in Swedish was the most streamed artist in Sweden’s Spotify in 2019. He
was won several awards and topped charts in Switzerland numerous times.

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On Thursday night,
at around 11 pm local time, Einar was shot several times outside his Stockholm
apartment. Ambulance personnel rushed in and provided him first-aid but the
teen rapper died at the spot, Stockholm police told AFP. A murder investigation
has been initiated. “We are actively working to figure why it happened and who
can be behind it,” Stockholm police spokesperson Towe Hogg said.

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While police have
not officially confirmed the identity of the victim, Swedish media has
identified the deceased as the 19-year-old rapper Einar. Einar, whose full name
is Nilis Kurt Erik Einar Gronberg, has had public feuds with a rival artist
named Yasin for several months. Yasin was jailed in July for his role in a 2020
kidnapping of Einar, reports AFP.

Most of Einar’s
songs bear references to a life of crime immersed in drugs and weapons. Einar
started his rap career on social media when he started posting songs as a young
teenager back in 2019. His first released single “Katten i trakten” (The cat in
the area) made it to the number one spot.

Sweden has been
facing a rising trend of shootings and gun violence which authorities have been
unable to control so far. Gangs and organised crime are said to be the major players
behind the violence.

Sweden’s Prime
Minister Stefan Lofven said on Friday, “It’s a young life that has been lost,
and I understand that he meant a lot to many young people. It’s tragic that
another life has been lost.”