Celebrity News

Rapper Pop Smoke shot and killed in home invasion robbery

Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed at a party in Los Angeles Wednesday morning in what appears to be a home invasion robbery, according to a report.

Four men wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts burst into the house where the Brooklyn-born rising star was staying at around 4:30 a.m. local time and fired off multiple gunshots, law enforcement sources told TMZ.

The 20-year-old artist was wounded and rushed to a hospital where he later died, according to the outlet.

Nicki Minaj, who remixed the rapper’s hit “Welcome to the Party,” posted a cryptic message suggesting the killer may have had beef with Pop Smoke after news of the attack broke.

“The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest in Peace, Pop,” Minaj wrote on Instagram.

Several hours before he was gunned down, the artist appeared in an Instagram photo flashing a stack of money while sitting in a car in the driveway, according to the outlet.

He may have unwittingly posted his location earlier in the day while showing off a gift bag labeled with the address of the abode.

Four NYPD officers were stationed at the rapper’s home in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn on Wednesday, but declined to comment.

Los Angeles police did not immediately confirm to Page Six that the victim was Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah Jackson.

But an LAPD official said a homicide occurred at the sprawling Hollywood Hills home owned by Edwin Arroyave, the husband of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp.

Mellencamp quickly took to social media to express condolences over the tragedy.

“Early this am we 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 wrote on Instagram. “Foremost, we would like to extend our prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic loss of life.”

Friends and neighbors near his Canarsie home were also heartbroken by the rapper’s untimely death.

“I am more than shocked,” said nextdoor neighbor Jessica Lowe, 25, who called him a pal and “a gentleman.”

“He was always trying to be my protector. He was very much a gentleman. He’s younger than me but he was always acting like a big brother. When I took the bus home with him, if I had groceries in my hand, he always held [them.]”

It’s unclear if the attack was gang-related, and suspects were reportedly seen fleeing on foot. They were still at large and had not been identified Wednesday.
Mellencamp’s rep declined to comment.

Celebrities took to Instagram to share their grief for the rapper, including 50 Cent. Pop Smoke released his most recent album in July, and collaborated with Travis Scott on his single “GATTI.”

“We are devastated by the unexpected and tragic loss of @POPSMOKE10,” the rapper’s record label, Republic Records, tweeted. “Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family, friends and fans, as we mourn this loss together.”

A rep for Pop Smoke did not immediately return a request for comment.

Additional reporting by Natalie O’Neill