Dancehall Artist Al’Qual Shot And Killed In Kingston

Dancehall artist Al’Qual had a tough life. The son of crack addicts, the youngster kept on the straight and narrow, choosing music as his singular focus as he chased his dreams. Sadly, that dream was cut shot when he was shot and killed by an unknown assailant at the intersection of Sandringham and Burlington Avenues in Kingston 10, this morning.

The artist, whose real name is Amanual Eccleston, was only 25 years old. Music industry insiders are shocked by the youngster’s murder.

“I can’t believe he is gone. Jamaica gone, the place unstable, he had so much potential, I cannot believe this all now, his family members told me that he had just come from an event and then somebody called him out of his house and he was shot and killed,” Vivian Thomas, chief executive officer of Push a Yute Records, told DancehallMag.

Reports from the Half Way Tree Police are that about 1:00 a.m., residents heard explosions and summoned them. On arrival of the lawmen, Eccleston was seen lying on the ground with gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

No motive has yet been established for the killing.

In 2021, Al’Qual inked a deal with the label, Push a Yute Records. Before that, he carved out a reputation for clashing other DJs and artists, which resulted in him becoming known as more of a clash artiste lyrically. He has cultivated a decent underground following with tracks like Think Smart and Subzero. He recorded a single called Long Time which was released on the Chase Mills Records label in December 2022.

Al’Qual had a solid run during 2022, where he was featured on two island tours. He also released his debut EP and worked with international producers featuring standout songs like Think Smart, Survival, and the club banger Timmy Turner.

“He was all about pushing brand Al’Qual for the year. He was getting better and better, these songs were some of his best material and he was going to focus more on his lyrical side, so for him to be snatched from us like this, it is hard to stomach,” Mr. Thomas said.