Mural of deceased rapper Def Rhymz repainted

In association with

Rijnmond

NOS News•today, 8:03 PM

A mural of the deceased rapper Def Rhymz on a sports hall in Rotterdam-Crooswijk has been painted over. Artist Che made the painting in April as a tribute to the rapper, who died of heart failure on March 24. Def Rhymz grew up in Crooswijk.

Rotterdammer Jean Sa Kaba discovered the defaced artwork and posted a photo of it on his Facebook page. “Apparently you felt it necessary to spray your fantastic work of art over it,” he wrote in a message to the perpetrator. “I’m very disappointed in you. I knew humanity could do very mean things, but you take the cake with your action.”

Jean Sa Kaba posted a photo of the repainted drawing:

Che thinks it’s a shame that “something positive has now been left with a bad aftertaste.” The wall on which the painting was sprayed is one of the few places in Rotterdam where this can be done legally, Rijnmond writes.

Che told local news website Open Rotterdam that he knows he has no right to claim part of the public wall. “But it’s a shame that it happened this way. The people who attach great importance to it were not taken into account.”

The artist hopes that the municipality will free up a special wall for Def Rhymz due to all the reactions to the painting. “There are beautiful walls in Crooswijk to realize this.”

A spokesperson for the municipality says that the options are being examined. “We are looking at alternatives, such as making a wall available. But the question is whether that is possible. In any case, it will not happen overnight.”

The wall is not managed by the municipality, the spokesperson explains. “But we are certainly taking the graffiti into consideration, because we are not happy with it at all.”

Def Rhymz died a month ago at the age of 53 due to heart failure. He had undergone several heart operations because his left heart valve was not functioning.

He had been living with a so-called supportive heart (a mechanical pump that supports or takes over the function of the heart) for more than four years while awaiting a heart transplant. But due to complications it never got that far.

Dennis Bouman, as the rapper was really called, was especially popular around the turn of the century. His first hit was Doekoe from 1999. In December of that year the song spent a week at number 1 in the Top 40. His biggest hit was Shakea bubbly remix of the song Love Come Home by DJ Jean.

He was born in Suriname in 1970 and came to the Netherlands with his family around the age of three.