Up-and-coming rapper and leader in the Brooklyn drill movement, Pop Smoke, was killed Wednesday morning. According to Fox LA, the rapper, born Bashar Jackson, was in a Hollywood Hills home owned by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave and her husband around 4:30 a.m. when two men wearing masks and hoodies broke into the house. Per TMZ’s law-enforcement sources, the men fired several shots, critically wounding Pop Smoke. The two suspects were seen fleeing on foot. Pop Smoke was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The suspects have not been caught or identified. It’s unclear if Pop Smoke knew who they were. He was 20 years old.
Pop Smoke’s hit “Welcome to the Party,” from his debut album Meet the Woo, achieved major success and was remixed twice with Nicki Minaj and grime artist Skepta. The Canarsie, Brooklyn native was one of the rappers on the forefront of the Brooklyn drill movement, a new version of the Chicago and London drill styles that came before it. His collaborations with U.K.-based producer 808Melo have earned praise from Nicki Minaj, Rico Nasty, and many more. Love from his collaborators, fans, and friends has already starting pouring in on social media.
This is a breaking news post and will be updated accordingly.
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