Photo Credits – “Rap” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Antonio Rull
Some sad news coming out of Los Angeles last week: Philly rapper PnB Rock died in a robbery while having lunch with his girlfriend at Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. A struggle started, then shots were fired, with the jewelry stolen. There is a disturbing video floating around the internet, but viewer discretion is advised. Before the incident, Rock was celebrating a wedding for rapper Tee Grizzley, who is from Detroit and is known for his song “First Day Out.”
The legacy of PnB Rock is something a lot of us won’t ever forget. Songs such as “Selfish,” “Everyday We Lit,” “Feelins” and “Dangerous,” to name a few, had a huge impact on fans and made them nostalgic, recalling when the songs were first released as they shared stories on social media about what the rapper meant to them. A lot of his peers on social media shared their reactions to the news. Notably, Nicki Minaj had this to say: ‘’After Pop Smoke, there’s no way we as rappers or our loved ones are still posting locations of our whereabouts. To show waffles and some fried chicken? He was such a pleasure to work with. Condolences to his mom and family. This makes me feel so sick. Jesus.” To give context, some fans and investigators are speculating that because his girlfriend posted on her Instagram story where she and the rapper were eating in real time, that gave the robber the tip to come to their location and rob him, ultimately taking his life in the process.
In an interview not too long ago with DJ Akademics, a notable hip hop media figure, PNB Rock discussed having a sketchy experience while being with his girlfriend and daughter in Los Angeles. In telling the story, he talks about how he just felt weird energy coming from people around him, and he knew he had to get out of there. He realized the same people were following him, so he had to let them know he wasn’t with the sketchy stuff and was able to leave safely. Fellow rapper Trippie Red posted this message on Instagram: “PB was my real-life brother. He pulled up on me and @fijimacintosh when we weren’t even nobody yet and told us in his prime that we would blow up. He pulled up to the hood in a sprinter with all his guys to Fiji’s mom’s house just to meet us and then put us on the lineup for his show in Atlanta. He wasn’t a selfish person either. He always praised me and my friends that aren’t famous for working with him. He flew to us and we always bonded over the fact that we both got to make hits with Xxx during his journey here I just want everyone to be safe and think about ur life and family before u make delicious I love you, man, until we meet again brother @pnbrock thank you for everything.”
As of writing this, Los Angeles Police Department hasn’t found the man responsible for his death, but they tell TMZ, ‘’investigators are confident they’ll make an arrest, and have spoken with those close to PnB to determine exactly what type of jewelry he was wearing at the time of his murder.” We are told investigators contacted numerous pawn shops in the area, asking them to alert cops if anyone tries to make a buck off the stolen pieces. The theory is that the murderer would want to get rid of the jewelry quickly, otherwise it would directly link him to the crime.
Some background on PnB Rock, real name Rakim Hasheem Allen, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: his father was killed when he was just three years old. He was raised in the Germantown neighborhood, which was not considered ideal by any means. He grew up listening to and taking inspiration from “gangsta rappers,” such as Tupac Shakur and Biggie. He had to quit high school due to financial issues and after spending some time among petty criminals, he decided to make a career in music. In June 2014, his debut mixtape, “Real N*gga Bangaz,” was released, and it enjoyed moderate success. Atlantic Records signed him on, and thereafter, Rock started gaining immense attention from the local music-loving crowd. His 2016 single, “Selfish,” brought him success and placed him on the US Billboard Hot 100. This also led Rolling Stone magazine to include him in the “10 New Artists You Need to Know” list. His successful journey continued with his soundtrack for the major film Fate of the Furious, with Wiz Khalifa.” This is according to famouspeople.com.
I want to make it known that this death does not define who PnB Rock was. He gave back to his community; he helped other up-and-coming artists grow; he always represented where he came from and he made music that was true to him. He influenced a generation of Philly rappers today that most can attest to. The Quad sends its condolences to his family and everyone affected, and if you want us to write updates on this story, please feel free to reach out.
Isaiah Ireland is a second-year Media & Culture major. II978280@wcupa.edu