Pop Smoke, a rising New York rapper, whose gruff-voiced style made fans of
stars such as Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, was shot and killed in Los Angeles
on Wednesday. A representative for the LAPD confirmed the rapper’s death to
Rolling Stone.
The Los Angeles police responded to an emergency call at 4:20 in the
morning after masked gunmen broke into a house where the rapper was
staying, the rep confirmed. Pop Smoke was transferred to a local hospital
and pronounced dead when he arrived. He was 20. The rapper’s death came
just days after his new mix tape, “Meet the Woo 2,” debuted in the Top Ten
of the Rolling Stone albums chart. News of Pop Smoke’s death spread quickly
online Wednesday.
Pop Smoke was born Bashar Jackson in Brooklyn, NY in 1999. His
transformation from a relatively unknown artist to next-up took place in
the span of just a few months. Last April, he released a song titled
“Welcome to the Party.” He quickly earned a major label deal.
