Just in: Rising Rapper, Pop Smoke Murdered at 20

Rising rapper Pop Smoke was fatally shot in Hollywood Hills, Calif., early Wednesday after two men broke into a home where he was inside, TMZ reported. He was 20.

The Brooklyn-born hip-hop artist was born Bashar Barakah Jackson.

Los Angeles police confirmed that a 20-year-old black male was fatally shot after an unknown number of masked men entered a Hollywood Hills home at around 4:29 a.m.

They did not confirm the victim’s identity.

Police said the victim was pronounced dead at a local hospital after being transported via ambulance by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

It’s unclear if the break-in was a robbery, police said, or if anyone else was inside the house on the 2000 block of Hercules Drive.

It’s also currently unknown if the shooters had any personal connection to Pop Smoke, or who the house belonged to.

Pop Smoke garnered widespread attention last year on the strength of his single “Welcome to the Party.” The breakout hit was remixed by ASAP Ferg, Meek Mill, Pusha T and others, and Pop Smoke premiered an official remix featuring Nicki Minaj several months after the original version’s April 2019 release.

Minaj was among the artists who mourned Pop Smoke following news of his death.

“The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest In Peace, Pop,” Minaj wrote in an Instagram post.

It’s unclear what she was referring to with “jealousy,” but singer Kehlani shared a similar post, tweeting, “jealousy is terrifying.”

“Welcome to the Party” served as the lead single on “Meet the Woo,” Pop Smoke’s debut mixtape, which dropped last July.

His second mixtape, “Meet the Woo Vol. 2,” came out earlier this month and features big-name hip-hop artists such as Quavo and A Boogie wit da Hoodie.

Pop Smoke is also featured on the Travis Scott song “Gatti,” which came out late last year.