Pop Smoke

Bashar Barakah Jackson was born on July 20, 1999, in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jamaican mother and Panamanian father.[1][2] Jackson attended nine different schools while growing up in Canarsie, Brooklyn.[3] He played the African drums in his local church as a child.[3] Jackson was expelled from eighth grade for bringing a gun to school and spent two years on house arrest after being charged with possessing a weapon.[4] Jackson started playing basketball as a point and shooting guard. He relocated to Philadelphia to enroll in Rocktop Academy. He was later forced to leave after being diagnosed with a heart murmur. Jackson later turned to street life.[5]

On January 17, 2020, after returning from Paris Fashion Week,[26] Pop Smoke was arrested by federal authorities at John F. Kennedy International Airport and charged with transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines. The vehicle was a Rolls-Royce Wraith, valued at $375,000, whose owner reported it stolen after Smoke had reportedly borrowed it in California for a music video shoot on the condition it would be returned the next day. Investigators believed he arranged for the car to be transported on a flatbed truck to New York. He posted a photo of himself in front of the stolen car on Instagram and Facebook. The car was recovered by authorities at Smoke's mother's house, in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn.[26] Smoke pleaded not guilty and was released on $250,000 bail on the same day.[27]

On February 19, 2020, Pop Smoke was renting a house owned by The Real Housewives star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband, Edwin Arroyave, in Hollywood Hills, California.[28][29][30] At around 4:30 a.m., four hooded men, including one wearing a ski mask and carrying a handgun, broke into the house and shot him twice.[30] The LAPD had received news of the home invasion from a call from the East Coast. Police arrived at the home six minutes later and found Pop Smoke with multiple gunshot wounds.[31] He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where doctors performed a thoracotomy on the left side of his chest.[32] He was pronounced dead a few hours later.[33] On February 21, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner revealed that the cause of Pop Smoke's death was a gunshot wound to the torso.[30] Investigators believed that the house was a target for home invasions following a string of robberies that took place at homes rented by musicians.[33] The LAPD at first considered that Pop Smoke's death was gang-related as he was tied to the Crips. They also suspected that his killers may have been gang affiliated.[33] The LAPD later believed his death was the consequence of a home robbery gone wrong.[34] The day before his murder, Pop Smoke and friend Mike Dee had posted several images on social media, including one in which Mellencamp's home address can be seen in the background.[33] The rapper also posted a story on Instagram and Facebook of gifts he had received.[33] One showed the house's full address on the packaging, giving out its location.[33]

Pop Smoke's body was originally planned to be buried at the Cypress Hills Cemetery but was later changed to Green-Wood Cemetery.[35] Family, friends, and fans of Pop Smoke gathered in his hometown of Canarsie, Brooklyn, to show their respects.[36] His casket was pulled in a horse-drawn carriage and was surrounded by glass windows and white curtains.[36][37] On July 9, three adult men and two minors were arrested for the murder of the rapper.[38] Pop Smoke's suspected killers were identified as Corey Walker, 19; Keandre D. Rodgers, 18; and Jaquan Murphy, 21, and two unnamed juveniles who were ages 15 and 17.[38][39][40] Walker and Rodgers were each charged with murder with a special circumstance that alleged the killing was committed "during the commission of a robbery and a burglary".[41] The two men are eligible for the death penalty or life without parole if convicted.[40][41] The two juveniles had also been charged with murder and robbery in juvenile court.[41] Murphy was later charged with attempted murder.[38]

A notable overseas exponent of the UK drill sound, Pop Smoke's popularity in New York was such that his songs were played more than some Billboard number 1 hits throughout 2019.[42] The way he blended the defining harsh sounds of drill with lyrics pertaining to leading a luxuriously hedonistic lifestyle, similar to those popularized within the American trap sound, led many to believe he represented his city better than his contemporaries. Danny Schwartz wrote in The Ringer that "[Smoke] conquered New York rap and gave the city the kind of readymade and potentially defining star it hadn't seen in years".[42]

Smoke's work ethic was widely praised by his peers in the music industry. Executive producer of his posthumous album 50 Cent revealed Smoke was always "writing what [50] said down" on his telephone, while Quavo added he "felt like [he] was talking to somebody that had been in the game for three years already".[43] Because of Smoke's strong desire to leave his old lifestyle, he motivated young people of his neighborhood to get away from the streets. Producer Rico Beats explained Smoke started "telling kids, don't go the gang route", wanting to "be a better person".[43] A few months after his death, his family announced the creation of Shoot for the Stars, a foundation launched by Pop Smoke which aims to help and inspire inner-city youth with a platform that helps to achieve goals amidst living and growing up in difficult circumstances.[44]

After his death, several murals of him were created in Canarsie.[45][46] His funeral was attended by a massive crowd estimated to contain more than one thousand people.[47] Although his lyrics do not generally contend with police brutality or racism, his songs, particularly "Dior", were popularly used during the George Floyd protests in New York City as a symbol of resistance.[48][45][49]

• Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (2020)

• List of murdered hip hop musicians