On January 16, 2020, Pop Smoke released "Christopher Walking," followed by his second mixtape, Meet the Woo 2, on February 7, 2020. The mixtape featured collaborations with artists like Quavo, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Fivio Foreign, and Lil Tjay. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, earning him his first top-10 project in the U.S.
A deluxe edition with three additional tracks featuring Nav, Gunna, and PnB Rock was released just five days later. To promote both mixtapes, Smoke announced his debut headlining tour, Meet the Woo Tour, which was slated to begin in March 2020 in the U.S. and conclude in April in the U.K., although it never came to fruition due to his untimely death.
On February 19, 2020, Pop Smoke was staying at a rented home in Hollywood Hills, California. Around 4:30 a.m., five masked men broke into the residence, one of whom was armed. A 911 call from the East Coast alerted Los Angeles police to the situation. Officers arrived six minutes later and found Jackson with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he underwent surgery but was pronounced dead hours later. The coroner later confirmed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the torso.
Investigators initially suspected the home invasion to be gang-related due to Jackson’s connections to the Crips. However, they ultimately concluded that it was a targeted robbery gone wrong. Earlier that day, Jackson and friend Michael Durodola had shared several photos on social media inadvertently revealing the exact address of the rental home, contributing to the assailants identifying the location.
New details released in May 2021 further clarified the circumstances. Jackson was in the shower when the intruders entered via a second-story balcony. One intruder brandished a gun at a woman present in the home and threatened violence. During the confrontation, Jackson was pistol-whipped and then shot, with his diamond-studded Rolex stolen and later sold for $2,000.
The suspects—three adults and two juveniles—were arrested on July 9, 2020. One adult was charged with murder under special circumstances in connection with the robbery and burglary, while another faced attempted murder charges. The two juveniles were charged with murder and robbery. A 15-year-old suspect reportedly confessed to the killing during a recorded conversation with a fellow inmate, revealing that Smoke had initially complied before resisting, resulting in a scuffle and fatal shooting.
Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut studio album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, was released in July 2020 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. All 19 tracks from the album charted on the Billboard Hot 100, cementing his place in music history. The album bridged the gap between Brooklyn drill and mainstream hip-hop, serving as an enduring legacy of his talent and impact.
His funeral was held in Brooklyn, where his hometown community gathered to honor him. His casket was transported in a horse-drawn carriage through Canarsie, before he was laid to rest at Green-Wood Cemetery after plans for Cypress Hills Cemetery changed. Pop Smoke remains a prominent figure in the evolution of Brooklyn drill, and his influence continues to shape modern rap music.
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