Overall, hip-hop's been thriving to start off this year. But this week, the genre took a serious blow as 25-year-old Jacksonville rapper Lil Poppa tragically passed away. He was confirmed dead at 11:23 a.m. by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office yesterday.
His cause of death is still unclear with senior medical examiner investigator Brian Jost Reents confirming as such. "His manner and cause of death are pending investigation," he said in an email per PEOPLE.
The family of the rapper, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, has yet to speak out amidst this gut-wrenching news. But fans and figures in hip-hop have and their love and support has been overwhelming. In a clip caught by No Jumper, a distraught Boosie Badazz issued a T.I.P (Thug in Peace) to Lil Poppa, labeling him "talented" and referred to him as his lil' bro.
"Always supported me, always looked up to me. Always came to Boosie Bash... Damn Pop."
Fellow Jacksonville native, comedian, and part-time musician Lil Duval also came through with a heartfelt tribute on his X. Caught by Akademiks TV, he delivers a poignant message about how short life really is and how much we take time for granted.
Lil Poppa's Music Career
"this one really hurt me cuz i really cared about lil poppa. Most of us in Jacksonville knew him since he was a kid. And we all wanted him to win and he was. Cuz once the drill music died done he was the only one left standing. And he deserved it cuz He was really who all these other YN rappers wanted to be in Jacksonville. Even his enemies was his fans first. We talked a couple weeks ago he said "i know i was suppose been pulled up to camp Duval but i been busy but im definitely pulling up soon" and i said "ain’t no rush it ain’t going no where" now i wish i would’ve forced it."
Fans have also been rushing to Lil Poppa's most recent Instagram post which was to promote his music video for "Out Of Town Bae." "this can’t be true [two broken heart emojis]." "I love you dawg." "you ain’t leave me like this ain’t NO WAY."
Poppa burst onto the scene in 2018 with his breakout hit "Purple Hearts" which in turn lead to a deal with Interscope in 2019. In 2022, he would drop his first tape under Yo Gotti's CMG label with Under Investigation 3.
Overall, his emotional songwriting and performances really hit home for a lot of listeners. Poppa responded to all of that love by saying, "That means a lot. That makes me realize I got the power to change someone’s outlook on a certain situation. So, I need to be mature enough to handle my own situations in a mature way."
