by Chaya Conwell // Staff Writer
Bashar Barakah Jackson, also known as Pop smoke was an American rapper and songwriter, born on July 20, 1999, in Brooklyn, New York, he began his music career in 2018. Initially, he was remixing popular songs within the New York City drill music scene before embracing and creating his original music.
In an interview Pop Smoke revealed the meaning of his name. Pop as the abbreviation for Poppa, the nickname given to him by his Panamanian grandmother and Smoke, the nickname given to him by his childhood friends.
On February 19, 2020, it was sadly announced that the young rapper was murdered due to the gunshot on his torso in his home at Hollywood Hills. According to the New York Times, the intruders would have had to travel through some portion of the house before they found him, but did not tear the place apart looking for valuables.
Suspicions imply that Smoke was set up, while others say he was making careless mistakes because he posted pictures on his social media that shows his address. In recent years, Pop smoke’s Residential area, commonly rented by known rappers, musicians have unfortunately been the target of several home invasions.
Carson High School senior, Tajie Halliburton stated, “It hurt me…because I just started listening to him and felt his music…I think he got set up because he’s an up-and-coming young artist, and there’s a lot of haters.”
CHS Junior Semaj Jankins stated, “I didn’t listen to [his music], but I hope he rests in peace because his death wasn’t fair and he was very young. He had a big life ahead of him.”
Smoke signed to Republic Records through Victor Victor Worldwide. However, his tragic death transpired after he was released from jail, only days after his second mixtape, “Meet The Woo 2,” ranked 7th on the Billboard Top 200 list. Before his death, he was just returning from London and was getting prepared for a concert tour in March 2020.
The tragic death of Pop Smoke was hurtful for a good amount of people because his sudden death affected his supporters. May his spirit remain with them and never be forgotten.
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