PnB Rock, real name Rakim Hasheem Allen, is the latest rapper to die at the hands of Los Angeles’ ruthless gang culture.
PnB Rock dies: What’s the cause of death?
As reported by Los Angeles Times, the 30-year-old was with his girlfriend, Stephanie Sibounheuang, inside Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South LA at approximately 13:15 EST (20:15 CAT), when an armed gunman ambushed the rapper at his table, demanding he hand over this jewellery.
“He shot the victim and ran out the side door to a getaway car and then fled the parking lot,”LA police captain Kelly Muniz revealed.
Speculation is still rife on how Rock was traced to the restaurant. In a recent interview with DJ Akademiks, the Selfish hitmaker spoke candidly about how, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he’d been targeted in a shooting in the Fairfax District..
While law enforcement officials are still piecing together the events that transpired in the build-up to Rock’s death, murmurs doing the rounds on social media suggest the fatal shooting may have been the consequence of Sibounheuang posting a since-deleted and geo-tagged Instagram Story of the food she ordered.
It remains unclear if Rock’s girlfriend has been interviewed by LA homicide detectives. However, according to reports, she and Rock had allegedly rekindled their romance following an ugly spat that resulted in the rapper restricting Sibounheuang from accessing her Instagram.
Investigations into the death of PnB Rock continue and, at this time, police have yet to establish solid leads on the suspects involved in the murder.
PnB Rock biography
Born on 9 December 1991, Rakim “PnB Rock” Allen was a famous musician hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The rapper was raised by a widow. His father was gunned down when he was three years old.
While his mother did her best to shield her son from the gory streets of Germantown, Philly, Rock’s childhood was marred with numerous run-ins with authorities. At the age of 13, he was arrested and sent to a youth detention program for several counts of robbery and school fights.
At the age of 19, Rock was sentenced to two years and nine months for drug possession and dealing. The rapper never graduated from high school. When he was released from prison, he adopted the name PnB Rock, a pseudonym that pays homage to Pastorius and Baynton, a street corner that made him.
His first mixtape Real N*gga Bangaz debuted in June 2014. Rock composed the entire project in prison, and this was the ticket out of street life. A year later, the rapper inked a lucrative deal with Atlantic Records and released two more mixtapes, the third being RnB3.
Rock went on to have a successful career, releasing four studio albums and scoring numerous Billboard chart positions with singles like Selfish, Gang Up, and Cross Me by Ed Sheeran.
PnB Rock was gunned down inside a restaurant in South Los Angeles on Monday, 12 September 2022. He is survived by two daughters.
Reactions to Rock’s death
The death of PnB Rock has truly rocked the Hip-Hop community. Tributes have been pouring in since news of the rapper’s death was confirmed. Here are some of the reactions we picked out: