Rapper Pop Smoke Killed In Hollywood Hills Home-Invasion Robbery

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Masked home-invasion robbers shot and killed Rapper Pop Smoke in the Hollywood Hills early Wednesday, according to authorities. His killers, masked gunmen, remain at large.

Pop Smoke, who broke out over the summer with the hit song "Welcome to the Party," died at a nearby hospital Wednesday morning, according to police and celebrity news sites. The Los Angeles Police Department did not confirm the victim's identity, but the department did confirm that a man was wounded about 4:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of Hercules Drive and died at a hospital.

LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie said the 911 call came from someone "back East (who) stated a friend of theirs home was being broken into by multiple suspects, and that one of them was armed with a handgun."

"When officers arrived there approximately six minutes later, they discovered a victim inside the house had been shot," Lurie said. "They called the fire department, who arrived and transported that victim to Cedars-Sinai (Medical Center), where he was pronounced dead."

No descriptions were immediately available of the suspects, who were wearing masks, police said.

"Officers detained several people who were inside the house," Lurie said. "However, all of those folks were released. ... No one was arrested at the scene."

No descriptions were immediately available of the suspects because they wearing masks, police said.

According to TMZ, the 20-year-old rapper was at the residence when two men wearing hoodies and masks broke into the house.

"We're told the 2 men fired multiple shots, striking and critically wounding Pop Smoke," TMZ reported. "The men were seen fleeing on foot."

Pop Smoke released an album in July, and one of the songs, ``Welcome to the Party," was considered by many the song of the summer, TMZ reported. Nicki Minaj did a remix of the song a few months later. He also did a song, ``Gatti," with Travis Scott, TMZ reported.

Pop Smoke's real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson.

Minaj shared a photo of the slain rapper on Instagram, along with the words: "The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest in Peace, Pop."

Rapper 50 Cent wrote on Twitter: "R.I.P. to my man Pop Smoke, No sympathy for winners. God bless him." In a second post, 50 Cent wrote: "No such thing as success without jealousy, treachery comes from those who are close. R.I.P."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.