Jacksonville was the blueprint for everything Lil Poppa made, the Northside streets he grew up on, all ran through his music.
The Florida hip-hop community is in mourning after the sudden passing of Janarious Mykel Wheeler, known globally as Lil Poppa.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office in Georgia confirmed that Wheeler passed away at 11:23AM Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
While the hip-hop community reels from the news, an official cause of death remains under investigation, leaving fans and peers in a state of shock.
Poppa’s career was built on telling unfiltered stories about the streets. From his independent start to his rise as a national artist, his music served as the model for the Jacksonville sound.
Lil Poppa first captured the industry’s attention with his Under Investigation series and the breakout hit ‘Love & War.’
In 2022, he signed with Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG), joining a roster of heavy hitters and cementing his spot as a Southern rap elite.
His passing comes at a tragic peak in his career. He had just released his latest single, ‘Out of Town Bae,’ on February 13, and was actively teasing the sequel to his 2025 project, Almost Normal Again.
The reaction across social media has been immediate and visceral. Jacksonville staple Trap Beckham voiced the sentiment of a grieving city, calling Poppa a “Duval Legend” and noting that “the city is truly not the same.”
The rapper was also slated for a high-profile performance in New Orleans next month–a show that was expected to be a victory lap for his recent success.
The Investigation remains open in Fulton County. Neither CMG nor the Wheeler family has released a formal statement regarding services or the circumstances surrounding his death.