Rising rapper Pop Smoke was pronounced dead by Los Angeles authorities after they say he was the victim of a violent home invasion in suburban Los Angeles early Wednesday morning.
According to what authorities relayed to TMZ, Pop Smoke, who was born in New York as Bashar Barakah Jackson, was in his Hollywood Hills home when two men stormed into the house and shot him multiple times. The entertainment publication learned from the Los Angeles Police Department that two men were seen fleeing the scene.
First responders attempted to perform CPR at his residence, but Pop Smoke was declared dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in nearby Beverly Hills.
Pop Smoke was 20 years old.
His trajectory was trending upward after the release of his hit song, “Welcome to the Party” back in the summer of 2019. That joint became such a massive hit that, much like previous songs such as “Black & Yellow” and “Welcome to Atlanta,” major stars, including rap empress Nicki Minaj, remixed it multiple times.
To further illustrate his meteoric rise in the hip-hop game, Pop Smoke penned a song with Travis Scott, the ex-boyfriend of Kylie Jenner, according to TMZ.
In fact, upon learning of Pop Smoke’s passing, Minaj penned this Instagram post, which reads: “The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest in Peace, Pop.”
This seems to suggest to some folks that Pop Smoke could have known his assailants and that some beef was involved, but there is no evidence to corroborate those sentiments at this time.
