Man Admits To Murdering Rapper Pop Smoke During Hollywod Hills Home Invation

INGLEWOOD, CA — An 18-year-old man on Friday admitted to a first-degree murder charge stemming from the shooting death of Pop Smoke. The man, who was 15 at the time, was among a group of people accused of invading the rapper's Hollywood Hills rental home before he was shot dead.

The man admitted in Juvenile Court to the murder charge, as well as an allegation that he personally and intentional discharged a firearm during the 2020 crime and a charge of home-invasion robbery.

Due to his age at the time, he could not be charged as an adult. As a result, his name has not been released. He's expected to serve time at a state juvenile facility until he turns 25.

"That man lost his life over no good reason ... You have no right to take somebody's life. You have no right to take somebody's property," Judge J. Christopher Smith said during Friday's hearing.

There are three other co-defendants in the case. A 19-year-old and 20-year-old both previously admitted to home-invasion robbery and voluntary manslaughter in Juvenile Court. Corey Walker, 22, has been charged in adult court with murder, robbery and burglary and is awaiting a pretrial hearing June 16.

Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, was a prominent figure in Brookyln drill scene, a dark style of hip hop that evolved from grime, garage, trap and forms of drill birthed in the U.K. and Chicago.

The Brooklyn native was earning mainstream attention leading up to his death at age 20.

He was an on four-day trip to Los Angeles when he posted a photo on Instagram of a gift bag from clothing brand Amiri, which revealed the address of the Hercules Drive home he was staying at, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The night, a group of people wearing ski masks burst into Jackson's bedroom and confronted him in a shower, where the then-15-year-old pistol-whipped the rapper and shot him three times in the back, according to a detective's testimony reported by the Times.

The group left with Jackson's diamond-studded Rolex, which they managed to sell for $2,000, according to the detective.

Jackson began rising to prominence in 2019, when his song "Welcome to the Party" earned traction and was remixed by Nicki Minaj a few months later. He also collaborated with Travis Scott on "Gatti," which gave Jackson his first Billboard Hot 100 appearance in 2019.

The rapper's profile rose in the wake of his death. He earned a posthumous Grammy nomination in 2019 for his song "Dior." He was named top new artist, top rap artist and top male rap artist at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2021, while his "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon" won top rap album and top Billboard 200 album.

City News Service's Terri Vermeulen Keith contributed to this report.