Following the news of Pop Smoke's murder in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Feb. 19), the late rapper's streams have increased substantially. Billboard reports that fans and newcomers alike listened to his music on the same day of his untimely death, resulting in a 392 percent rise, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
On Feb. 19, Pop Smoke's catalog amassed 24.7 million streams in the U.S., a significant increase from the 5 million his music received on Feb. 18. "Dior," taken from his 2019 debut mixtape Meet the Woo, garnered the most listens with 5.2 million, rising 467 percent from 909,000 listens the day prior. "Better Have Your Gun," taken from the same project, saw the most significant increase with 783 percent to 202,000 streams. Digital downloads of his music increased too, with a 12,179 percent in album sales between the two days.
The rapper was shot dead in what was initially believed to be a home invasion robbery turned sour earlier this week. However, surveillance footage from outside the Hollywood Hills home revealed it could have been a "targeted hit," rather than a robbery. The footage, which has not been made public, shows a group of four men approach the residence before one of them entered through the back. The next time he was seen on camera, he exited through the front door and appeared to do so without any stolen materials.
His second mixtape, Meet the Woo Vol. 2, dropped earlier this month. He was 20 years old.
