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Pop Smoke left Canarsie behind when he chased his rap dreams in Los Angeles, but his Brooklyn neighborhood never forgot him.
Every year since his death in 2020, the community comes together to celebrate the legacy of the rising star who put drill music on the map before his life was cut short.
This year’s Pop Smoke Day on July 20 brought families, friends, and elected officials to the streets where he grew up, honoring both his artistry and the work his mother continues in his name.
The 20-year-old rapper was shot and killed on February 19, 2020, during a home invasion robbery at an Airbnb in the Hollywood Hills.
Five masked intruders broke into the rental property, and after an altercation, one of them fired a gun three times, killing Pop Smoke over a diamond-studded Rolex watch that would later sell for just $2,000.
He’d made the mistake of posting the house address on social media the day before, essentially inviting trouble to his door.
His hit single “Welcome to the Party” had already made him a household name in New York, and the city was just beginning to understand what it was losing.
Since his death, Pop Smoke’s mother Audrey Jackson has transformed her grief into action through the Shooting Stars Foundation, which provides resources and opportunities for young people across Brooklyn.
“He cared deeply about his community,” Jackson said during the celebration, according to News 12 Brooklyn. “It helps me get through this because I know people are intentional about coming out to support his legacy.”
Elected officials honored her dedication to preserving her son’s memory while lifting up the next generation.
The annual parade through Canarsie featured community programming and activities for families, creating a space where people could remember Pop Smoke not just as a victim of violence, but as a young man who genuinely loved his neighborhood.
The celebration also comes as justice has finally been served in his murder case, with Corey Walker, the only adult charged, receiving a 29-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery in February 2025.
According to Rolling Stone, Walker apologized to the family during sentencing, stating “there’s no apology that amounts to the taking of someone’s life.”
Three other individuals, all juveniles at the time of the crime, also entered guilty pleas through juvenile court, with sentences ranging from four years to longer terms in detention facilities.
