Montreal rapper found slain

Montreal's hip-hop community is mourning the loss of the rap artist known as Bad News Brown.

Paul Frappier, 33, was found dead on a street corner early Saturday in the southeast end of the city.Police said there were "clear signs of violence" on his upper body, and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Born in Haiti, Frappier moved to Montreal at a young age, where he lived with his adoptive family until he left home as a teenager, making a living as a street busker.

Frappier quickly gained a reputation as a skilled rapper and harmonica player and later shared the stage with some of the hip-hop world's top performers, including Ice-T, Cypress Hill and De La Soul.

His manager, Henry Gelot, described Frappier as a generous man who loved music and "left a mark on everyone who knew him."

"He's definitely going to be deeply missed," Gelot said. "He was a good friend, he was my artist and my business partner."

Investigators on the scene Saturday haven't suggested a motive in the killing.

Frappier's death marks the seventh homicide in Montreal so far in 2011, compared with three at this date last year.