On the latest episode of “Drink Champs”, N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN linked up with renowned rapper Tony Yayo. They delved into his musical journey with G-Unit, going solo, beefing with DJ Khaled, and talked about Pop Smoke’s tragic death.
In 2020, Pop Smoke – whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson – was tragically shot and killed in the Hollywood Hills.
Los Angeles Police Department detectives described a home invasion they allege spiraled quickly into murder. A heist conceived by teenagers, the crime was as brazen as it was pointless — a killing that robbed the rap world of one of its brightest young artists, while netting the alleged killers a watch they sold for just $2,000.
Dead at 20, Jackson would not know the breadth of the critical acclaim and commercial success his music received after he was gone with singles like “Welcome To The Party” and “Dior”.
According to Yayo, Pop’s death set New York’s music scene back.
The former G-Unit rapper shared, “I wish he would’ve stayed in a hotel instead of an Airbnb. Rest in peace. That kind of fucked New York up. New York was coming back. We had Pop Smoke. You got Fivio [Foreign], all these drill n*ggas. A Boogie [wit da Hoodie]. Everybody knows you can’t trust that Beverly Hills shit.”
Later, Yayo cautioned other artists about staying in Airbnb homes and other nice rentals, noting: “This shit a $4 million house, but Compton could be 10 minutes away.”
