Pop Smoke was one of the most iconic rappers to blow up from New York in the past decade.
He went viral with tracks like Welcome to the Party and Dior, which brought the Brooklyn drill
scene to a whole new level. But just as it seemed like he was going to take over the rap game, Pop
Smoke was tragically murdered while on vacation in Los Angeles. His death was so sudden and
unexpected which left the world shocked. After a while, the police finally solved the tragic murder
of Pop Smoke and arrested four suspects. Here is all we know about what happened that night.
Pop Smoke was born and raised in Brooklyn. During an interview with Power 106 Los Angeles,
the rapper said that growing up in the hood, everyone is going to either: rap,
sell drugs or play basketball. So, he decided to do all 3.
The rapper was expelled in the eighth grade for bringing a gun to school and spent two years on
house arrest for possession of a weapon. He also played basketball as a point and shooting guard
and even got a scholarship to Rocktop Academy in Philadelphia. But Pop was forced to quit
the team and head back to Brooklyn after it was discovered that he had a heart murmur. After that,
he turned to the streets full time but held onto his other dream of being a famous rapper.
He started his rap career in 2018, while hanging out in the studio with another artist named Jay Gwuapo.
When Gwuapo got too high and fell asleep, Pop jumped in the booth and recorded a song using
a beat he found on 808 Melo’s YouTube. Around the same time, he also started chilling with
another producer named Rico Beats who introduced him to record label executive Steven Victor.
Pop signed a deal with Victor’s label in April 2019 and dropped his first hit:
Welcome to the Party later that same month. The song immediately went viral and ended up being
remixed by Nikki Minaj and Skepta. He released his debut mixtape Meet the Woo later in the year,
which featured his massive follow-up single: Dior.
With that project, Pop Smoke brought major attention to the Brooklyn drill sound
and the rapper was on his way to taking over the whole industry. But in February 2020,
news broke that Pop Smoke had been tragically murdered while staying at a Beverly Hills mansion.
The news shocked hip-hop fans everywhere because of how random and crazy it all seemed.
Usually, when rappers get killed, it’s in their own hometown. Although Pop was gang-affiliated,
he wasn’t known to have any public beef at the time. Pop was affiliated with the 823 Crips,
as well as GS9. He was also associated with the Woo, a larger umbrella organization
that contains sets from various Brooklyn gangs who are allied with each other.
Check out our video on the Woos vs the Choos for more information on this gang war.
The murder happened on February 19th, 2020 in a home that Pop and his crew were renting from
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband Edwin Arroyave. He and his friends
had a small party that night. Surveillance footage from the home showed that around 4:30am,
four men broke in, just ten minutes after the last guest left and locked the door.
One of them had a ski mask and a pistol and was looking for Pop Smoke while the others followed him.
At first, it didn’t appear that the killers got away with any valuables, which led investigators
to believe that the murder was gang-related. But the more they began to investigate,
the more it appeared that the situation was actually a home invasion gone wrong.
It’s not uncommon for LA mansions to be targeted. Around the time that Pop Smoke was killed,
the city was going through a crazy wave of robberies that included the homes
of high-profile celebrities and athletes getting hit up.
Even though they're pretty cold blooded, these robbers aren’t stupid. In today’s day and age,
teenage burglars have learned to use the power of the internet to plan their licks.
Using Google Maps, social media, and real estate listing websites, criminals can find
out which houses are on the market and identify any possible entry points and exits. Then,
they lurk on social media, until someone high profile is staying at a house they are targeting.
Unfortunately, that seems like what happened to Pop Smoke. Because the owners were frequently renting out their homes,
it was all over these kinds of real estate websites like Airbnb.
That gave the robbers the info they needed on the property and its general location.
Unfortunately, being a hot rapper these days means that you aren’t just an artist,
but also an influencer. Rappers have to constantly showcase their lifestyle to the public,
and let them know that they’re really out here livin.
But when you’re constantly making your location known or leak the exact address,
someone is bound to pull up. That’s exactly what happened to Pop and it ended up costing him his life.
On the day before his murder, Pop and his friend Michael Durodola were posting images to Instagram,
showing off their vacation spot and some gifts they had received. In one of the pics,
you can see the numbers of the house on the garage clearly. In another, you can just barely make out the address
on a gift from the brand Amiri. Using these clues, as well as the information about the house that
was publicly available, the killers were able to track the rapper down and easily find the home.
For a while, it seemed like Pop Smoke might be added to the list of famous rappers whose
murders remain unsolved, like Biggie Smalls or Big L. A month after Pop was killed,
the world went into lockdown over coronavirus and the police units and legal system had to
put the case on pause to deal with the pandemic. Plus, the only witnesses were the people who were
staying with pop that night and they weren’t exactly willing to cooperate with police.
This led to rumors that maybe Pop was set up by his own people, who were jealous of his success.
Others claimed that it was old gang beef that had followed him to California,
and opps simply got the drop.
Then, in early July 2020, 50 Cent and Stephen Victor sat down with Ebro Darden at Hot 97
and said that there were serious developments in the case that were coming soon. Not long after that,
police announced that they had arrested five suspects in the murder of Pop Smoke.
The men they arrested were 19-year-old Corey Walker, 18-year-old Keandre Rogers,
21-year-old Jaquan Murphy, and two unidentified juveniles. Walker and Rogers are allegedly
connected to the 107 Hoover gang, although police don’t believe that the murder was gang related.
The suspects are also believed to be involved in a separate murder that took place in the parking
lot of the Rose Bowl. The 18-year-old victim Cameron Stone was a college student who was
working part-time for a cleaning company. It was his first night on the job and they were there
cleaning up after the game. A fight broke out in the parking lot and shots were fired,
hitting Cameron and a 51-year-old man. The second victim survived, but Cameron, unfortunately, passed away.
Police believe that the suspects in Pop’s murder were somehow involved in this case as well.
The Suspects are currently still in custody and being held on a $1 million bond.
In May 2021, new details emerged as the case led up to trial.
A woman who was staying with the rapper at the time of the murder testified that
one of the robbers held a gun to her head and said “shut the fuck up. Do you want to die?”.
Pop was in the shower at the time and the men had gotten into the house through a second-story balcony.
She heard a struggle in the bathroom as the robbers went to confront the rapper
and then heard a scream. Pop ran out of the bathroom and she heard the bang of a gunshot.
He fell to the floor and two of the intruders tried to kick him while he was down.
He was able to get up and run downstairs, but the killers just let off two more shots.
The woman told his friend Michael to call 911, while the killers stole the rapper's watch and took off.
A Los Angeles police detective also testified that two of the suspects
had already admitted to their roles in the shooting to confidential informants.
One of the juveniles, who was only 15 years old at the time and the youngest of the suspects,
admitted to his cellmate that he was the one who pulled the trigger.
He said that they were after his diamond-studded Cuban link chain,
but only got away with a matching Rolex, which they sold after the robbery for $2,000.
He said they caught Pop Smoke in the shower while he was naked. At first, he went along with their
demands for the jewelry but then suddenly tried to rush them and get away.
That’s when they pistol-whipped him with a Beretta M9 and then shot him as he ran out of the bathroom.
Corey Walker also admitted to playing a role in the murder, while speaking to an
informant who was placed in his cell. He told the informant that they used ski masks, gloves,
and a police scanner to pull off what was supposed to be a robbery. But when the rapper fought back
they were forced to shoot. Police were also able to tie Walker to the scene
using cell phone records and his vehicle, which was used as the getaway car.
It’s a real tragedy that hip hop lost one of its most promising talents over a watch that
was only worth $2,000 in the streets. The fact that the alleged killer was only 15
and the rapper died while he was naked in the shower, makes it even worse.
Walker is being defended by Christopher Darden, one of the prosecutors from the OJ trial.
He is facing the most serious charges and is eligible for life without parole if convicted.
Rodgers was under 18 at the time of the arrest, so he will be tried differently and Murphy is only being
charged with attempted murder. The two juveniles are also being charged with murder and robbery.
Walker’s parents have even reached out to the parents of Pop Smoke to request a private meeting,
but Pop’s mom turned it down for the time being. It seems like this may be a long,
emotional case but eventually, justice will be served. The police have solid evidence to bring a conviction
and the suspects have done half the work for them by self-snitching.
Bringing the killers to justice won’t bring Pop Smoke back, but it will give his family and fanbase some closure.
Unfortunately, the world will never get to see Pop Smoke fully realize his potential,
but at least he left behind some great music to continue his legacy.
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