A drill rapper “did not stand a chance” as he was stabbed to death in a “savage and merciless attack”, a court has been told.

Crosslon Davis, known as Bis, was allegedly set upon by four armed youths in a passageway in Deptford, southeast London, early on 6 December 2019.

The 20-year-old, said to be a “highly regarded” drill artist who was a member of the Harlem Spartans, a well-known music collective primarily based in Kennington, south London, suffered at least nine wounds to his head, back and chest.

Defendants Elijah Morgan, 20, and Jedaiah Param, 21, are on trial each accused of murder and having a knife. They deny the charges.

Jurors at the Old Bailey in London have been told that two other males have not yet been “satisfactorily” identified.

On the opening day of evidence in the trial, prosecutor Brian O’Neill QC said: “It was a savage and merciless attack.

“Crosslon Davis did not stand a chance. The forensic pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination of his body concluded that he had bled to death as a result of multiple wounds.”

The main part of the attack was caught in CCTV footage, which showed two of the attackers getting out of a minicab, he said. They were also recorded on the minicab dashcam getting in the vehicle minutes earlier.

Mr O’Neill alleged that the men in the footage are Morgan and Param.

On the day before he died, Mr Davis had arranged to film a music video for his latest track, the court heard.

He shot footage around Kennington and Cambridge with friends, including Elhaj Diarrassouba, also known as Els.

During the car journey back to London, Mr Davis appeared to become “angry” with someone on the phone, jurors were told. This was said to be about “Latz”, real name Latwaan Griffiths, a fellow Harlem Spartan who had been stabbed to death in July 2018.

“Rightly or wrongly, he got the impressions the person on the other end of the phone was being disrespectful about Latz,” Mr O’Neill said.

Mr Davis told the person on the phone to stop being rude and to apologise, but he refused, it was alleged.

Mr Diarrassouba suggested they meet the caller to sort it out and they arrived in the Deptford Creek area at about 1.15am, the court heard.

Mr O’Neill told jurors that if there was a pre-arranged meeting with the defendants, it was not possible to say if it was linked to the perceived “disrespect” about Latz.

The defendants had allegedly just got into a cab in Deptford when Mr Davis, armed with a mallet, opened the rear door and tried to attack Morgan.

The cab sped off but the driver was told to stop and the occupants got out and ran back, the court heard.

Param, of Norwood, south London, and Morgan, of no fixed address, deny the charges against them.

Judge Angela Rafferty QC pointed out to the jury that only one of the defendants, Param, was in the dock.

Morgan is already in prison, she said, and knew about the trial starting but “has chosen not to come”.

The trial continues.