Pop Smoke‘s tragic murder back in early 2020 still carries a heavy legacy to this day. His music continues to resonate with millions, and fans have celebrated his life and contributions in many ways. However, this retrospection has also led to some interesting alleged connections with law enforcement and what the Brooklyn rapper’s career might have faced if it wasn’t tragically cut short.
More specifically, this comes about due to former New York Police Department chief John Chell’s recent appearance on The John Rondi Show. He claimed that before Pop passed away, they were building a case against him over alleged gang connections and car theft.
“The case I was personally involved in… 2019, 2020, Pop Smoke,” Chell expressed at around the 5:25-minute mark of the video below. “[He] lived in Canarsie, Brooklyn, he was down with the G-Stone Crips, I believe. Big crew… He’s an up-and-coming star, and we were into that gang. He was part of it. But we didn’t have much on Pop. What Pop did was, he had stole a Rolls-Royce from… I think it was L.A., and brought it back to Canarsie. We made an arrest then, we tried to leverage that.
“You might be running with the gang guys and they’re your friends, I mean, for better or for worse,” he continued. “But you got a lot more to lose. You got millions, you’re a rising star. So as we were cultivating this whole gang case, I believe he got murdered in a home invasion in L.A. He had a very distinct sound, didn’t he? Years after that, there was always a Pop Smoke Day in Canarsie. They would put a lot of cops there because a lot of gang members showed up.”
What Happened To Pop Smoke?
As for other updates concerning this situation’s legacy, Pop Smoke’s alleged killer recently caught heat online. A picture emerged of him wearing one of Pop’s merch items on social media, which set fans ablaze. This alleged killer, Blockstar, was allegedly one of five men who raided his Airbnb in Los Angeles and took his life during a robbery.
Pop Smoke’s family remains devastated, but they continue to celebrate his legacy and his impact. Regardless of where his career or life may have gone in the industry or in the legal world, it was a bright light cut short far too soon.