Local Rapper, Producer & Mentor Leo DaVincci Dies at 43

Leo DaVincci, a rapper, producer, and music mentor to teens who worked with Guitars Over Guns, died on September 4 after a long illness.

Born Leonardo Mayorga in Nicaragua in 1982, his mother moved him to Miami when he was less than a year old. It wasn't long after that that he fell in love with hip-hop. "At age six, he was listening to 2 Live Crew," his cousin Carlos Martinez reminisced to New Times. In middle school, Leo was already rapping, writing lyrics, and finding other people with his interests."

In 2008, he started Mami Beat Crew, a local hip-hop collective. Fellow Crew member Chip Williams remembers Leo Davincci as a "great musician of music that wasn't fake. He didn't rap about killing people or selling drugs. He talked about real things. He was a great beat maker. And a producer in the truest sense of the word, in that he brought people together."

Beyond his solo projects as Leo DaVincci, Mayorga collaborated with established and beloved hip-hop figures, from rapping with M1of Dead Prez to producing tracks for DJ EFN. "He was always humble and pleasant to be around. We all knew he was battling health issues over the years, but still managed to forge on and continue being creative," EFN tells New Times, adding, "He had established himself locally and had been building a solid body of work and network that was getting his name further than the local scene. His loss is huge to our small and somewhat fragile local hip-hop community."
The most significant loss might be to the countless number of aspiring teenage musicians Mayorga mentored over the last decade under the umbrella of the non-profit group Guitars Over Guns, even if Mayorga was initially reluctant to step into that role. "He didn't think he was the right guy to give kids direction based on things he did in his life," Guitars Over Guns founder Chad Bernstein recalls.

Martinez, Leo's first cousin, pushes back a bit on that narrative, saying his cousin was always a kind-hearted, moralistic guy. "Maybe he got busted with weed one time, that's why he thought he'd be a bad example? His greatest sense of pride was pointing kids in the right direction and giving them a platform."

Whatever real or imagined skeletons were in Leo DaVincci's closet, he gave the kids his all. "A handful of them wouldn't be around without Leo helping them discover their musical side. One student couldn't make eye contact with anyone. Leo coached her to write a verse and be in a music video. He'd move mountains for them," Bernstein says.
The health issues, which included a brain tumor, kidney failure, and eventually a fatal infection his body couldn't fight off, never stopped his love of music and collaborating in making it. Much of his music can be found on his Instagram page or his Bandcamp page. His old musical partner, Williams, says he will try to consolidate all of Leo DaVincci's recorded works and give them a single digital home. Williams also wants to see if he can complete DaVinci's unfinished musical project, Hijos del Volcan, which paid tribute to his Nicaraguan roots.

Plans for a memorial are still being decided, according to Martinez, who set up a GoFundMe page to help Leo's mother, who was supported by her son. "Leo was a good individual who faced a lot of challenges. He didn't have a father, he didn't have his health, but he was still a pillar to his family and the community," Martinez says. "I'll miss him dearly."