JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Nearly one month after it was announced that Jacksonville rapper \u2018Lil Poppa\u2019 had died, Eastside residents gathered at City Hall on Tuesday to ask officials if March 18 could be designated as \u201cLil Poppa Day.\u201d <\/p>\n
March 18 is Lil Poppa\u2019s birthday. His full name is Janarious Mykel Wheeler. <\/p>\n
\u201cLil Poppa stood for a lot of things,\u201d explained one resident named Felicia Jackson, who spoke at the meeting. \u201cBut the main thing he stood for is mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jackson went on to explain that many kids in the neighborhood looked up to Lil Poppa because he was someone who \u201cphysically made it out\u201d but still struggled with mental health behind the scenes. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very important for the kids to see that we can make it out, regardless of the things we go through in our neighborhood,\u201d Jackson said. <\/p>\n
Another resident named Gavin Boykin spoke in favor of the day, calling Wheeler someone who didn\u2019t spread hate on the Internet, and that his death should be used as an opportunity to send a message to \u201ctroubled youth\u201d that they should attempt to be more compassionate, thoughtful, and understanding. <\/p>\n
Latavia Harris, another Eastside resident, said that creating a day to remember Wheeler is extremely important for the community to keep the culture, heritage, and knowledge of people like Wheeler and what he stood for alive in the area. <\/p>\n
Councilman Rahman Johnson also took time during the City Council meeting to honor Wheeler\u2019s family and send his condolences to them. <\/p>\n
\u201c[Wheeler] is known throughout the music industry for the great work he\u2019s done…he\u2019s brought so much notoriety back to Jacksonville,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWe can use this as an opportunity to talk about somebody who always recognized our city.\u201d <\/p>\n
News4JAX has learned that the city is currently working on creating a proclamation for the fallen rapper and hopes to have it completed by the end of the week. <\/p>\n
Wheeler was signed to Collective Music Group, which was founded by rapper Yo Gotti.<\/p>\n
He is known for his debut studio album \u201cBlessed, I Guess,\u201d which was released in 2021. <\/p>\n
He also recently released a song called \u201cOut of Town Bae.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wheeler was scheduled to perform in New Orleans this month. <\/p>\n
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