This is our memorial page for young artists who have passed that we had the honour of knowing and working with at FAM. Their voices and art deserve to be seen, heard and remembered by those who knew them and those who did not get the chance to see them in their power.

Phoenix Checkosis (2000-2022)

Phoenix Checkosis (he/him) was an energetic young man who loved to entertain everyone around him. He would make his presence known when entering a room by spitting out his most recent lyrics with his skateboard in hand. He was inspired by Dr. Dre and Wu Tang Clan and he aspired to share his stories of resilience with the world through his rhymes. He found writing lyrics to be a healing process for his mental health and he was never without his notebook. He cared deeply about his family and his friends who he considered to be his family. We will forever wonder how being a father would have inspired his raps but are so grateful for the lyrics he shared and left behind.

Phoenix Tha Villian

Phoenix was one of the very first rappers to enter FAM studios when we were still young at Mount Royal Collegiate in the graphic arts lab. FAM studios wouldn’t be the same without his influence and inspiring other young emcees to join the crew. You can see him here talking about his craft in one of our first videos ever made.

“Rockin It”

Written by Phoenix Checkosis, mixed in FAM Studios by Earthrok in 2020.

Jay Threefingers (2002-2022)

Jay Mateo (they/them) was an Indigenous self-taught artist. They liked to incorporate very vibrant colours and raw materials into their artwork. Jay started to make art as an outlet to release stress and anxiety. They were always either working on songs, photography or just painting. They always gave 100% effort in everything they did. Jay started attending Future Artistic Minds in February 2021 and is also on FAM’s album, Many Moods of Hip-Hop Mixtape.
In 2021, Jay helped out at our FAM at BAM exhibit every day, they wrote and recorded music, displayed their photography, and in the summer helped paint a mural commemorating Neil Stonechild at CNYC. We honour and miss Jay and wanted to share their phenomenal artistry that we were lucky enough to experience in the short time that we knew them.