Rising rapper Pop Smoke has been murdered. He was 20.
According to TMZ, the up-and-coming musician was shot and killed at his Hollywood Hills home Wednesday morning (February 19) in what’s being described as a home invasion robbery. Per law enforcement, two men wearing masks and hoodies reportedly broke into Smoke’s home at around 4:30 a.m. and opened fire — fatally wounding the emcee — before being caught fleeing the scene.
He was pronounced dead upon arriving at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood.
No suspects have been apprehended or identified at this time. However, the outlet reports cops held one man in handcuffs but was later released as it was determined he had no involvement. As yet, it also remains unclear whether Smoke knew his killers.
In 2019, the rising rapper, whose birth name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, rose to hip-hop stardom with his first single, the drill jam “Welcome to the Party,” which also received the remix treatment from Nicki Minaj. By July, he would unveil his debut mixtape, Meet the Woo.
The Brooklyn-born emcee’s tragic death comes just a week after he recently visited Angie Martinez right after delivering the sequel to his debut project, Meet The Woo 2. Smoke’s new project features some of the biggest names in hip hop such as Quavo, and other New York City Natives A Boogie Wit Da Boogie, Lil Tjay and Fivio Foreign.
RIP, Pop Smoke
Photo: Getty Images