Death of Pop Smoke
Following the sudden overdose death of Juice Wrld last December , the passing of Pop Smoke today reopens the tragic list of young rappers who leave this world far too soon. A list sadly dominated by such renowned names as XXXTentacion , Mac Miller, Nipsey Hussle, and Lil Peep . Pop Smoke, a promising rapper who had been experiencing a significant rise in popularity for several months, died Wednesday morning during a robbery at his home, according to the American media outlet TMZ.
According to initial police information, two masked individuals broke into Pop Smoke's home in the Hollywood Hills at 4:30 in the morning and opened fire, seriously injuring the rapper. The assailants were seen leaving the scene on foot. Pop Smoke was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspects remain at large and have not been identified. It is not known if Pop Smoke knew the assailants. Police initially handcuffed and detained a suspect who was released minutes later.
Pop Smoke, just 20 years old, released his debut album, Meet the Woo, last July. The album features his most popular track to date: " Welcome to the Party," which was considered one of the songs of the summer. Nicki Minaj later remixed the song. The rapper also collaborated with Travis Scott (a frequent collaborator with artists like Rosalía and Drake) on "Gatti." Pop Smoke released the follow-up to his album, Meet the Woo 2 , this past February. The album features collaborations with Quavo, A Boogie wit Da Hoodie, Lil Tjay, and Fivio Foreign.
50 Cent talks about Pop Smoke
It hasn't even been a week since 50 Cent himself spoke about Pop Smoke during an interview on Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97. 50 Cent made the following comment, half-jokingly, half-seriously:
-We have to be very aware of the new voices. The youngest. Do you like Pop Smoke?
-Of course I like it.
-You better. (laughs)
50 Cent hinted at something many other opinion leaders and podcast hosts like Joe Budden have joked about: Pop Smoke was someone to be wary of. You can see this exchange between 50 Cent and Ebro at the 5-minute mark of this video.
Just a few days ago, Pop Smoke was also involved in a funny viral story after a photographer he had hired published some unflattering pictures of him. The situation ended with several private messages filled with insults and threats exchanged between the rapper and the photographer. You can see the whole story in the following video.