Budding artist Pop Smoke was just getting his feet wet in the music industry when his life was cut short. Back in February, while staying as a Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles, authorities believe Pop Smoke was murdered in a home invasion robbery. As the months have dragged on, there hasn’t been any new updates regarding his case, but hip hop has certainly felt the effects of the tragic incident.

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Many rap artists already have fierce security measures set in place to ensure their protection and the protection of their loved ones, but Pop’s death still shook everyone to the core. Boosie Badazz chatted with VladTV about the 20-year-old rapper’s death and how it forced him to change his ways. “[It] makes you tighten up security, sh*t like that,” Boosie said. “Anytime a rapper dies. In Cali, you gotta have your guns out. That’s where everybody get robbed at. That’s where everybody get jacked at. That’s where the home invasions going on.”

Boosie Badazz added that any rapper visiting California needs to be prepared for anything. “You basically gotta have your hand on the gun in the jacket. Them n*ggas ain’t playing out there,” he continued. “It’s wicked out there. N*ggas in the industry know what I’m talking about… You gotta be ready to smoke them n*ggas ’cause they ain’t playing. They ’bout they business out there.” Hopefully, we’ll hear more about the investigation into Pop Smoke‘s death in the months to come. Watch Boosie Badazz talk about the late rapper below.

Former NBA player Shannon Brown found himself in a peculiar situation earlier this week as he was arrested and charged in connection with a shooting that took place at his home. The alleged incident is incredibly bizarre and involves two intruders, a man, and a woman, entering Brown’s home because of the “For Sale” sign on the front lawn.

According to a report from The Citizen, in Georgia, the man and woman claim they were looking for homes in the area, and when they saw the sign on Brown’s property, they let themselves in. The couple alleges that someone told them to “come in” although eventually, Brown allegedly appeared and fired five to six shots from his rifle. In the report, it states that the couple was able to escape and report the incident to police who arrested Brown and found a shell casing at the scene.

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Brown is adamant that he didn’t know why the people were there and he genuinely thought they were breaking into the home. After spending some time in jail, Brown was released on bond and has been back home ever since.

This is a truly bizarre situation so stay tuned for updates as we will be sure to bring them to you.

[Via]

Update: This incident happened earlier in the month, although the news was just revealed today.

Eminem had a home intruder at some point this month, so say the eagle eyes of TMZ. The famed Detroit rapper apparently had to deal with this intruder himself, as the dude slipped past his sleeping security team around 4 AM.

The intruder is 26-year-old Matthew David Hughes. He’s apparently an Eminem Stan– and he so happens to have the same name as “Stan’s brother” in Em’s “Bad Guy” Stan sequel, proving that art always imitates life. He managed to break into Em’s gated Detroit property, and made it all the way to the kitchen before coming face to face with Eminem. To enter the kitchen, Hughes reportedly used a stone he found on the pavement outside the property, and broke the kitchen window with it before forcing himself inside. This caused Em’s house alarm to go off, which despite not walking up Em’s security, it did wake up the man himself. 

When he saw the intruder, he reportedly yelled for his security guard, who finally woke up it seems and grabbed the guy. The police eventually arrived at the scene and arrested Hughes on two felony charges, first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of a building.

Hughes is still being held on a $50,000 bail at Macomb County Jail.  

For what it’s worth, Hughes was apparently wearing a mask– he had it around his neck in the mugshot.

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The woman who claims Hitmaka attacked her continues to speak out. Recently, news circulated that award-winning producer Hitmaka—also known as Yung Berg—was involved in a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend, Talia Tilley. However, he was quick to respond to the allegations by saying he wasn’t in a relationship with Talia, at all. Instead, he claims she was apart of a plot with a handful of others to pull off a home invasion on his residence.

Hitmaka has shared surveillance footage from his home, alleged DMs from Talia, and even a portion of a letter from her lawyer. After watching Hitmaka speak openly about the incident, Talia has come forward to release a statement courtesy of The Blast. “I want to respond to the allegations that are being made against me. They are completely false,” the model stated. “At no time during the assault on me were the police ever called to his residence about any robbery or suspicious activity happening in his backyard.”

“I have not and would never be a part of what I am being accused of,” Talia Tilley continued. “I was in fact the only person physically hurt and the only person that called the police that morning. I’m an honest, decent woman from a military family. I’ve always had a good character and people who know me personally would never question that. I have never threatened anyone nor committed any crime.”

Talia went on to say that she’s suffering from emotional and mental distress, as well as dealing with embarrassment from “all the false accusations.” Her “credibility has been stained” and she can’t get work as a model anymore. The “LAPD is currently investigating this crime and I am freely and willingly providing them with anything to prove my innocence of what happened that morning,” she continued. “As of now I have retained counsel and am being represented by Lisa Bloom. My family and I will not rest until I get justice.”

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In the wake of Pop Smoke being murdered in a home invasion, rappers aren’t taking any chances, including Hitmaka, also known as Yung Berg. Hip Hop artists aren’t strangers to watching their backs and keeping their security in check, but the brazen and bold behaviors of thieves have caused many to enforce extra precautions. Recently, Hitmaka faced allegations of domestic violence after a news report circulated that he’d assaulted his girlfriend. However, he quickly had his lawyer draft an official statement stating that he isn’t in a relationship with the woman at all. In fact, he claims she was plotting a home invasion robbery with a number of other individuals and even shared the surveillance footage from his home.

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Talia Tilley, the woman in question, acquired legal representation of her own and sent Hitmaka a letter. “Ms. Tilley is in fear for her life due to Mr. Ward’s public and defamatory allegations against her and the fact that he knows where she lives,” the statement reads, adding that Talia is seeking therapy. 

“We believe that it is in the best interests of all parties concerned to explore an amicable and private resolution prior to commencing any formal litigations,” the document continues. Hitmaka shared a portion of the letter on social media and wrote in the caption, “I COULDV’E BEEN DEAD !!! MONEY HUH? NOW YALL CAN SEE.” He also shared DMs that are allegedly from Talia Tilley.

“U got one day,” the message says. “It’s about to get sent I want us to be cool I don’t want anything from u beat my asss. U gonna have to pay me and I’m cool u gave me stitches on my face. I’m telling u I wasn’t expecting this. Get real. Be real.” Check it all out below.

Weeks after Pop Smoke was murdered in an affluent area of Los Angeles, there are still many questions circulating about his death. The rapper had just released Meet The Woo 2 and was in a Hollywood Hills residence when he was shot and killed during a home invasion. Following the tragic news, Blueface came forward with a bit of advice for artists who make their way to L.A. Some people thought he was telling rappers to “check in” with streets prior to landing, but in an interview with Bootleg Kev, Blueface stated that wasn’t what he was saying at all.

 
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“The way they took what I was saying like, go find your local hood that’s affiliated with what you—honestly, that’s the last thing I’m promoting,” said Blueface. “If anything, go find you a regular, square that’s got maybe a gun license or permit or even a security guard or even a friend of a friend that can pull up and provide you with the utensils that you need to defend yourself.”

He doubled down that he wasn’t telling rappers who come to Los Angeles to contact gang leaders in order to get permission to move around the city. “That’s the last thing you should do,” the rapper added. “They gonna extort you! F*ck that. We ain’t payin’ nobody sh*t.” Bootleg Kev said he thinks that people need to keep their guard up more than getting the “artillery” they need. “They see the palm trees, they’re in the hills,” and they get distracted. 

Blueface added, “They don’t know that the ‘hood is a 20-minute drive. They coming, for sure.” Watch Blueface with Bootleg Kev on Real 92.3 below.

It’s been just a little over a week since the shocking news of Pop Smoke‘s murder first surfaced. In that time, reports about the Brooklyn rapper’s untimely death have been circulating throughout social media. People have made claims that Pop Smoke’s death was a home invasion robbery gone wrong while others, including TMZ, have speculated that the incident was a carefully executed target hit on the rapper.

On Friday (February 28), Pop Smoke’s family issued a formal statement where they thanked everyone for their kind words but stressed the importance of factual reporting. After sharing bits about the rising rap star, they also stated, “Unfortunately, there are no public details available regarding the murder of our loved one. We ask for respect and responsible reporting during this critical time. Inaccurate reports only add unnecessary pain to a grieving family.”

At the top of Saturday (February 29) morning, TMZ returns with what they claim is more information about Pop Smoke’s case. According to the outlet, their “law enforcement sources” revealed that the investigation isn’t moving forward because “detectives have his a road block… specifically with regard to witness testimony.” They report that people are “simply refusing to talk” with authorities.

TMZ also shares that witness stories have changed throughout the investigation and “because nobody was outside or nearby Pop’s house when the crime occurred … they have no neutral witnesses.” Apparently, time was wasted looking into social media leads that weren’t ble. Additionally, TMZ claims that their sources insist that this was a “targeted hit” but investigators are struggling to identify a motive.

As the investigation into Pop Smoke’s death continues, there have been many theories of why he was murdered in the Hollywood Hills. The 20-year-old rapper’s recent mixtape Meet The Woo 2 just debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart the day before his death. With so much to look forward to in his career, gossip about the circumstances surrounding Pop Smoke’s death have flooded social media.

TMZ recently reported that Pop Smoke’s East Coast family have made their way to Los Angeles to immerse themselves into the investigation. The publication returned on Saturday (February 22) morning to share more speculation into the rapper’s slaying by reporting that Pop Smoke was concerned for his safety days before he was murdered on Wednesday (February 19).

According to TMZ, last Sunday (February 16), Pop Smoke was set to perform at the Kings Theatre in his hometown of Brooklyn. However, the rapper reportedly shared on his Instagram Story that the show had been canceled because he claimed the “NYPD wouldn’t let me perform.” TMZ states that they’ve spoken with the New York Police Department and it wasn’t their call to shut down the show—Pop Smoke allegedly made the decision to back away “out of concern there were gang members in the audience.”

The outlet continued, “The rapper was out on bail in a federal car theft case and was ordered to stay away from gang members, so cops say canceling the show was really self-preservation… There’s been a buzz in L.A. among Pop’s circle that gang members might be behind his murder. The fact that Pop himself had concerns about gang members was something that has not escaped the attention of police.” 

Social media may be calling for a boycott of TMZ over more claims that they’ve been reporting on deaths prior to loved ones being notified, but that hasn’t stopped the outlet from delivering their news. TMZ is known for sharing breaking news of celebrity deaths before any other outlet, and recently, they caught backlash after investigators publicly stated that TMZ shared news of Kobe Bryant’s death prior to investigators notifying family members. The outlet was also the first to share details about Pop Smoke’s murder, and his good friends have criticized the site, saying they had to read about the rapper’s death on social media.

Even so, TMZ returns with another update about the investigation into the home invasion that took the life of the Brooklyn rapper. According to the publication, their “family sources” have shared that Pop Smoke’s East Coast loved ones are making their way to Los Angeles to fully immerse themselves into the investigation.

“Our family sources say they had no clue that Pop Smoke had any enemies in L.A.,” TMZ wrote on Friday (February 21). “They also don’t believe someone would have followed him from New York to L.A. Since he spent so much time on the East Coast, if someone there wanted to harm him, they would have done it there.”

TMZ also reports that family members have taken it upon themselves to personally question witnesses and friends of Pop Smoke’s who were allegedly at the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp’s Hollywood Hills rental property just prior to the fatal shooting. We previously shared that there is reportedly surveillance footage that seems to support the theory that Pop Smoke was targeted in the shooting and that the incident may not have been a robbery at all.

The shocking news of Pop Smoke's murder rocked hip hop on Wednesday (February 19). The rapper was killed during a home invasion robbery in the affluent Hollywood Hills community of Los Angeles, and artists have come forward to share their grief over the news of his death. Jadakiss stopped by BET's studio to share his thoughts about the 20-year-old New York artist who lost his life too soon and shared that being young and successful shouldn't make you a target for violence.

After offering condolences and prayers to Pop Smoke's family, Jadakiss revealed that he'd spoken to the young rapper in the past. "It's just senseless, we're losing too many young artists," The Lox rapper said. "I spoke to him a few times on the phone. I was gon' have him rock at my daughter's Sweet 16, but he was overseas. He was very... He showed wild love."

Jadakiss revealed that Pop Smoke was still willing to show up and make an appearance for free. "He got tied up, but then I bumped into him at Barclays, that show they had at the Barclays," Jadakiss recalled. "Same thing, nothin' but love backstage... I was just telling somebody today, we lost probably many young artists in the last year or two than I lost my whole career. That's not good. That's not good at all. We gotta just cut it out."

He then quoted a social media post from Irv Gotti that said hip hop is the only genre where you become a target as soon as you become successful. "That's damn sure true with this," said Jadakiss. "That don't happen with nothin' else. He was a young, successful black man. Just got over being a teenager. Twenty-years-old. He had a lot of living to do. He was able to be successful in this game to get himself out of doing some other dumb stuff. He didn't have to sell drugs. He didn't have to put his family in jeopardy for doing something else senseless. For him to lose his life like that? I just... Horrible."

Watch Jadakiss reflect on the loss of Pop Smoke below. We continue to send out heartfelt condolences to Bashar Barakah Jackson's loved ones through this sorrowful time.

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@jadakiss came by today to talk about the sudden death of Pop Smoke, and sends his condolences to his family ??#BETRemembers #PopSmoke

A post shared by BET Networks (@bet) on Feb 19, 2020 at 5:48pm PST