Pop Smoke was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Pop Smoke began his musical career in late 2018 with his debut single MPR. Following his rise to fame, Rico Beats introduced Pop Smoke to Steven Victor in April 2019. Victor would later have Pop Smoke sign a recording contract with Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records. He released his debut mixtape “Meet the Woo” in July 2019. His second mixtape, “Meet the Woo 2”, was released on February 7, 2020, and debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, becoming the rapper’s first top-10 project in the United States.

Unfortunately, less than two weeks after the release of the mixtape, Pop Smoke was murdered during a home invasion in Los Angeles. He was killed on February 19, 2020, in his Los Angeles rental house. Pop Smoke was only 20 years old. TMZ reported that he was comfortable calling the home invasion a robbery for now. Pop Smoke’s fans and internet sleuths pointed out that he had posted photos on social media showing lots of money as well as a luxury car. He had also created posts on Facebook and Instagram with pictures of designer bags on July 9, 2020, which could have been part of the leading cause of the home invasion. Los Angeles Police Department said that they had arrested 5 people concerning Pop Smoke’s murder. Four days later, prosecutors say that four of them were charged with Pop Smoke’s murder.

Months later, fellow New York rapper 50 Cent was the executive producer of Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut studio album, “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon”, released on July 3, 2020. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and all 19 tracks from the album charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also spawned a string of international top-10 singles, including “For the Night” (featuring DaBaby and Lil Baby) and “What You Know Bout Love”.  

Nearly a year later, new details about Pop Smoke’s murder appeared in court last week, during two days of proceedings to determine whether the case against Walker would go to trial. This is a developing story.