Pat Stay’s friends and family are lobbying to have Dartmouth Street renamed in his memory | Art + Culture | Halifax, Nova Scotia
NIn the early three months since the tragic killing of Dartmouth battle rapper Pat Stay, momentum is building for HRM to honor the late and famous entertainer on its sidewalks.
or change.org petition is calling on the regional council to rename a street in Dartmouth in memory of Stay, 36, who was best known for putting the Darkside on the map as a fan-favourite competitor in popular venues. King of Spades combat series. The petition has gathered more than 5,500 signatures in four days – and its organizer has no plans to slow down.
“This town is still grieving Patin”
Malyssa Burns, Stay’s wife, tells The Coast she had heard about the plans to memorialize her late partner since his funeral. The father-of-two was found stabbed outside the Yacht Club Social in Lower Water Street in the early hours of September 4. Police arrested a suspect six days later and have charged him with first degree murder. His trial continues on December 6.
News of Stay’s death spread far beyond Nova Scotia, reaching the pages of CNN AND Sky News UK. Tributes poured in from the likes of Eminem and Drake, the latter of whom called Stay one of his “favorite rappers ever”.
hiphop lost one of the best fighters of all time … RIP @patstay .. KINGDOMS NEVER DIE‼️
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) September 5, 2022
Burns says she’s not surprised “at all” by the outpouring of community support she’s seen. or GoFundMe campaign to support the family has brought messages from all over the world.
“This town is still grieving Pat; this town still thinks highly of Pat,” she tells The Coast. “I feel like putting up these memorials, whether it’s a street name or another mural, helps us grieve a little bit as a city.”
“If anyone deserves this, it’s definitely Pat”
Ask longtime friend Cody Good, who first met Stay at Auburn Drive High School and spearheaded the online campaign, and what sticks with him are the messages he’s seen pouring in since the beginning.
“He was such a genuine and kind-hearted man,” writes Jennifer Kennedy, who met Stay at Dartmouth High School (Stay attended both schools). “He represented Nova Scotia with poise, courage and respect,” adds Jesse Ito, who calls Stay “a friend and an incredible talent.”
For Good, the messages “speak volumes about who Pat was” in the Dartmouth and Halifax hip hop community.
@patstay He deserves a Dartmouth street named after him. Please sign this petition, Put Pat on the map like he did for us #Dartmouth #NewScotland #kotd #patstay #llps #halifax @MikeSavageHFX https://t.co/FVbDTgLZtX
— cody good (@cody_good) November 26, 2022
“He’s the one you see on camera,” Good tells The Coast. “He would make fun of you and you would literally laugh at yourself.”
But beyond the larger-than-life character, what Good remembers most of all is Stay’s legacy as a friend and father. He remembers Stay as “always willing to help discuss a problem or ask who needed help to overcome an issue.”
He hopes the HRM council will honor Stay with a street name.
“If anyone deserves this, it’s definitely Pat.”
The move may succeed in the council
Dartmouth Center Councilor Sam Austin tells The Coast “there’s certainly room” to honor Stay with a memorial designation at Dartmouth, noting that anyone can submit a application to honor someone without asking for a request.
“Renaming an existing road is always a bit complicated,” Austin admits, “but we could end up with a new road in Dartmouth Cove, and there’s a bridge that would cross Dartmouth Cove that could be named.”
Austin adds that applications are reviewed by a committee, which then presents a list to the HRM council.
Burns says if she had her choice, Stay would be memorialized in downtown Dartmouth.
“We live in downtown Dartmouth… and we’ve raised our kids here,” she says. “He was always at the center of Dartmouth. If you could ask Pat where he would want to spend the rest of his life, it would be downtown Dartmouth.”