By Mason Leaver
On Wednesday morning, February 19th, rapper Pop Smoke was killed in his home in Hollywood Hills, LA. The Brooklyn-born 22 year old had already achieved a notable career. His resume included collaborations with the likes of rappers from Cactus Jack and Travis Scott. Many rappers have already paid tribute, among them Snoop Dogg, Chance the Rapper, and 50 Cent.
Born Bashar Barakah Jackson in Brooklyn, NY, both of his parents were immigrants. Jackson was both Jamaican and Panamanian. He first began rapping in 2018, releasing his full debut album, Meet the Woo, in 2019. It received widespread acclaim, with over 280 million streams worldwide. He followed it with several single releases, including Dior, one of his more well-known tracks. Additionally, his single Welcome to the Party, released in the summer of 2019, received much praise from critics and fans. He collaborated with Travis Scott and Jackboys on their debut album. Jackboys, in December of 2019. The album, especially his main track GATTI, was well-received and garnered millions of streams in its first few days. He released his second solo album in early 2020. Titled Meet the Woo 2, it was also very well-received. Unfortunately, Jackson was killed a little over a week after Meet the Woo 2 dropped. In the brief period between its release and his death, Meet the Woo 2 outclassed Meet the Woo in terms of streams and worldwide listens. It also was successful with critics and fans who praised it as his best work to date. Meet the Woo 2 included tracks with featured artists such as A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Quavo, and Lil Tjay. Many fans also praised this array of features.
At the time of his death, Pop Smoke had roughly 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He was also on track to release a collaboration with Vlone, which dropped in February of 2020. Jackson had been renting a home in Hollywood Hills at the time of his death. The evening of February 18th, he posted a picture on Instagram of the view from his house. It would be his last post. According to Police Reports, two to six intruders forced their way into his home at around 4:30 AM. A neighbor called the Police shortly before 5 AM, saying that several armed men wearing hoodies and masks were forcing their way into the home next door. When the cops arrived shortly after 5 AM, Jackson was found with several gunshot wounds. Jackson was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The LAPD is still searching for two to six suspects in the murder who are allegedly on the run.
Tragically killed before he could reach the peak of his career, Pop Smoke was unable to fulfill the possibility and promise that his rising status and popularity demonstrated. However, he leaves behind two full-length solo albums as well as several singles and collaborations.