Just a terrible story coming out of Los Angeles. Rapper Pop Smoke, who, admittedly, I’ve never heard of, was shot and killed at his home. He was only 20.
Around 4:30 a.m. local time, two men wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks broke into the home where Pop Smoke was staying, law enforcement sources told TMZ. They fired multiple gunshots, wounding the up-and-coming Brooklyn-born artist, according to TMZ.
A spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed to Page Six that at around 4:30 a.m., a homicide occurred at a Hollywood Hills home, but did not confirm that Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, was the victim.
The Hollywood Hills home was owned by Edwin Arroyave, the husband of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp, according to TMZ. After news of Pop Smoke’s death broke, Mellencamp wrote on Instagram that she and Arroyave “were informed by a 3rd party leasing and management company overseeing a rental home we own in Los Angeles that a shooting had taken place at the property.” She expressed her condolences “to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic loss of life.”
Several artists took to Instagram to share their grief for the rapper, including 50 Cent, Nas, and Nicki Minaj. Pop Smoke released his most recent album in July, and collaborated with Travis Scott on his single “GATTI.” Minaj later remixed his hit “Welcome to the Party.”