Pop Smoke, a rising rapper from Brooklyn, died today (Feb. 19). He was 20.
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The rapper, born Bashar Barakah Jackson, was shot and killed early this morning in Los Angeles during a home invasion, a representative from the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Rolling Stone.
Jackson was staying in a home in the Hollywood Hills when a pair of two masked men broke into the house and fatally shot the rapper, according to reports. He was transferred to a nearby hospital in West Hollywood where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The suspects have not been caught and remain unidentified, according to reports.
Read: Chicago Rapper Juice WRLD Dies At 21
Born in 1999, Jackson was a fast-rising star in the hip-hop world. He broke into the mainstream in 2019 via his breakout track "Welcome To The Party," the lead single off his debut mixtape, Meet The Woo, which was released later that year. He later released two official remixes of the track featuring Nicki Minaj and U.K. grime rapper Skepta.
Most recently, Jackson released the sequel to his inaugural mixtape, Meet The Woo 2, earlier this month (Feb. 7) on Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic Records. The mixtape, which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, featured collaborations with Migos rapper Quavo, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Lil Tjay and others.
Jackson also featured on JackBoys, the 2019 compilation album from Travis Scott and his Cactus Jack Records roster, and collaborated with artists like Charlie Sloth, Calboy and H.E.R., among others.
Following the news of Jackson's death, fellow artists from the larger hip-hop and R&B community commemorated the late rapper.
