PnB Rock helped kick off a whole new wave in the rap game
by mixing singing and rapping
with stories about his come up in the streets of Philly.
He popped off back in 2014 and was trying to make a comeback this year
after leaving Atlantic Records and going independent.
But before he could take advantage of the new opportunity,
he was tragically shot and killed over his jewelry.
This is the wild story of PnB Rock.
On Monday, September 12th,
PnB Rock took his girlfriend to Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in LA.
His girl posted a picture on IG tagging their location,
and at around 1:20 pm
someone walked up to rob him.
The police say
“The victim along with a female witness were in the eating area at a restaurant,
when they were approached by at least one suspect,
who brandished a firearm and demanded property from the victim.”
It’s not clear exactly how it happened,
but at some other dude started letting off shots.
Then he snatched PNB’s jewelry and ran off.
According to the LAPD,
the shooter had a getaway car waiting for him outside -
so it was obviously a planned hit instead of just a random robbery.
PnB Rock had a lot of love in the industry,
and when the news broke about his death
a lot of artists hopped on social media to show support.
Kodak Black posted an IG story and said
“(I Don't) USUALLY SPEAK ON DEATHS !
GO TO FUNERALS OR (Nothing)
KUZ LIFE GOES ON.
BUT (Shaking My Head) PNB WAS MY BOY
I WAS JUST (On The Phone) WIT EM LAST NIGHT !
WE BE TALKIN BOUT HIM COMIN BACK OUT & POPPIN HIS SHIT AGAIN IN THIS RAP SHIT.”
Nicki Minaj collabed with Rock on the track Fendi back in 2019.
After he died,
she brought up how rappers and their crew
have to be more careful about what they post on social media.
She tweeted “After Pop Smoke
there’s no way we as rappers or our loved ones
are still posting locations to our whereabouts.
To show waffles & some fried chicken????!
He was such a pleasure to work with.
Condolences to his mom & family.
This makes me feel so sick. Jesus.”
A lot of people are blaming Rock’s girl for his death.
Kodak even said “That hoe might as well **** herself” on his IG story,
but there’s no confirmation that the shooter saw his location on IG.
Cardi B tweeted “I highly doubt n****s was looking at PMB’s babymom IG.
He was in a bad location and people stay outside plotting.
It’s very irresponsible and inconsiderate to blame her for something so tragic.
We should be sending nothing but love to her and his family at this time.”
It’s not fair to blame his baby momma for the situation,
in a city like LA, anyone could’ve got the drop and gave his location out.
The whole thing is tragic
but it just goes to show that rappers aren’t safe in public.
Other artists like Trippie Redd, YG, Murdabeatz, and Russ
all hopped online to show respect.
Fans were shocked by the news.
Rock was always a positive dude who loved giving back to the community,
even though he had a wild come up in Philly.
But if people like Nipsey aren’t even safe in LA, anything can happen.
Punch from TDE tweeted
“Man. Please be careful in Los Angeles.
Specifically artist and entertainers.
Everybody is watching.”
And Boosie said “Every time (you) in LA
KEEP YOUR GUNS (And) YOUR FINGER ON THE TRIGGER.
BE READY TO SHOOT AT ALL TIMES.
KEEP YOUR HAND ON YOUR GLOCK (no safety)
(And) SHOOT SOON AS YOU SEE HARM OR ANYONE SUSPICIOUS.
They will rob (and) kill (you).
ITS THE RAP MURDER CAPITAL.”
After he died,
DJ Akademiks posted a clip from an interview he did with Rock
just over a week ago.
In the video, Rock talked about switching up how he moved after his older brother got killed.
He told Ak about a time last year
he thought some dudes were trying to line him up for a lick,
but he made it out of the situation because he knew how to move.
Last year, Rock went on Bootleg Kev’s podcast
and talked about rappers rocking jewelry out in public.
He said “N****s tried me out here a couple times,
that shit don’t ever work.
I be too on point.
I’m from the same shit y’all tryna do,
I done did this ****.”
Rock also said rappers should have security if they’re walking around with that much drip.
He told Kev
“And if you gon’ do that shit bro, be safe. Get some security.
I ain’t gon’ sit here and say security is the end all be all, or a n**** won’t try you.
But they’ll think twice.”
PnB Rock grew up in Philadelphia.
His dad was murdered when he was only three years old,
so he was raised my his mom.
Rock ain't have much growing up,
and he spent time in and out of shelters.
He hopped off the porch at a young age,
and when he was 13 he got sent to juvy for robbery and fighting in school.
The time in juvy didn’t keep him out of the streets.
Since his dad died early on,
Rock’s uncle became like a father figure to him.
But when he was 15, his uncle got murdered
which pushed him deeper into the streets.
And at 19 he got hit with a 33 month sentence for drug possession and other charges.
He told the Fader “I was selling drugs,
I probably robbed a few people here or there.”
While he was locked up
Rock saw dudes in the yard singing and entertaining everyone else,
so he picked up a pen and started writing his own songs.
When he got released,
he hopped onto a viral trend called #TBH posts
where people on IG would respond to photos with a clip of them singing.
Rock built a following on IG and started dropping tracks in 2014.
He put out a couple of mixtapes and was starting to pop off,
but then he got hit with a four month sentence for violating parole.
His fans started a #FreePnBRock campaign while he was behind bars,
which proved that he could really make it in the industry after he got out.
In 2015, Rock signed with Atlantic Records and dropped his third mixtape.
He was already buzzing, but Rock took it to the next level
when he dropped the track Selfish in 2016.
It peaked at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100,
and got the attention of Rolling Stone -
who put him on their “10 New Artists You Need to Know.”
After just a couple of years,
Rock had gone from being homeless to one of the hottest new rappers in the game.
He told HipHopDx in 2017
“I never would thought I’d be here right now.
If you know me, you knew my situation, my story.
Two years ago I was homeless.
I had just came home from 33 months from upstate prison.
I ain’t had shit.
I ain’t had no families, no friends, no nothing.
I had friends,
but they wasn’t going to make sure that I was in a better situation than I was in…
I had this book of music that I knew was going to take off.
I start putting my videos on Instagram, and shit started getting lit.”
After Selfish popped off,
Rock kept it pushing and dropped his second project with Atlantic in 2017.
He picked up even more momentum
by getting featured on two tracks off of The Fate of the Furious soundtrack.
Even though he wasn’t in the game that long,
Rock worked with a ton of artists.
He had tracks with Kodak, Young Thug, XXXTentacion, Ed Sheeran, and way more.
Pretty much everyone loved him,
but Rock had beef too.
Back in 2020, Rock hopped on his IG story
to talk about the new wave of “emo rap.”
he wrote “All these lil n****s albums n tapes be sad asf lol
like all these lil mfs depressed smh
I can’t listen to this ****
make me wanna go **** myself listenin to Dese sad ass Lil boys lol.
Lol like even when I was down to my last… down N Out….
I was happier den dat
I went out and got it never was sittin round feelin sad and depressed….
That’s for suckas new generation shit I guess.”
Rock didn’t call anyone out by name,
but Rod Wave got pressed over the post.
He hopped on his IG story and wrote
“Some of you fuck n****s been in Hollywood to long.”
Then he tagged Rock and said
“put a address on that ****.”
Rod didn’t get it all out,
so then he posted a video and said
“Y’all n**** ain’t connected to reality no more.
That’s why they can’t make reality music.
That why they be making all that dancing, gay ass hop around pop botty shaking music.
Keep me out that ****, man.”
He followed that up by threatening Rock if he comes to Florida.
He said “You gon’ have to pay fifty, sixty thousand every time you come to Florida.
I don’t care where the fuck you at.
N****s gon’ hear about that.
I’m gon’ give a n**** ten thousand on Cashapp if they see you in a mall,
one of those ***** ass rental cars you be riding around.”
Rock clapped back on IG Live and said
“Rod Wave is my ******* son, n****.
He making music like me, n****.
Singing, trapping, rapping, I did that...
This generation, n****. I did that.
Put that shit in your fucking brain and slap it in your ******* mind, *****.
‘Cause you my fucking son, n****.
Any time I say little boys, kids,
if you feel like you a ******* little boy or a kid, then hey, so be it.
You a ******* *****, you a little boy, you a little kid.”
The beef cooled down after that.
Rock told Bootleg Kev that he DM’d Rod to talk about the situation -
and he thought Rod might’ve just been trying to start something for clout.
After he got out of Philly Rock never went back to prison,
but he still had some issues with the police.
Back in 2019 they raided his place and found five pounds of weed, scales,
a stolen pistol, and $33K in cash.
When the news broke he hopped on IG and said
“I don’t know what the **** they was talking about.
It wasn’t me! What the ****?
I look like I’m selling drugs? Never!”
But last year he pleaded guilty to one charge of receiving stolen property
and one for possession with intent to deliver.
Rock could’ve served time,
but he got off easy with just 36 months of probation for each count,
plus 100 hours of community service.
In 2020 he was arrested for allegedly street racing and crashing into three other cars.
According to the police, he was driving a white BMW
and racing a Rolls Royce Wraith.
Rock ended up crashing in front of a couple of cops,
and the Wraith just drove away.
The cops booked him on suspicion of driving under the influence and reckless driving,
but he was out the next day.
PnB Rock had a wild come up surrounded by crime and violence,
but he turned it all around and influenced a whole wave in the rap game.
Recently he was talking about how excited he was to be an independent artist
and making a comeback,
but tragically he was murdered before he had the chance.
Hopefully other artists will start being more careful about how they move.
Rappers have become a huge target for dudes trying to hit an easy lick,
and we’ve lost way too many talented artists to violence.
Rest in peace to PnB Rock,
and every other rapper who was taken too soon.