R.I.P. Pop Smoke

A promising career has been cut short. Rising Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke was fatally shot at a home in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday morning (February 19). He was 20.

Authorities report Pop Smoke was present at a Hollywood Hills home registered to “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband, Edwin Arroyave, when four masked gunmen approached the residence following a gathering. Pop Smoke was critically wounded from gun shot wounds and he was pronounced dead later at West Hollywood’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

According to outside surveillance footage, police believe the incident may have been a targeted hit as oppose the initial report of home invasion robbery. Footage shows the four men approaching the rear of the house at 4:30 am local time. Minutes later, three of the four are shown walking towards the front, and the fourth man exiting the front door emptied handed before all four fled on foot.

Earlier in the day, Pop Smoke uploaded footage on his Facebook account of gifts that he had received with the home’s address, which is what lead investigators to believe robbery was the motive and how the suspects may have obtained Pop’s location.

The tragic loss comes almost two weeks after the release of Pop Smoke’s new mixtape, Meet The Woo Vol. 2 and a week after releasing the deluxe version. Quickly known for his distinct drill sound from New York, the “Welcome To The Party” hit-maker emerge on the scene with his debut, Meet The Woo in 2018. Welcome to Heaven.