Rapper Lil Poppa Tragically Dies at Age 25

Jacksonville rapper Lil Poppa died Wednesday, February 18, in Georgia. He was 25 years old. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the musician, born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m. ET. His cause and manner of death remains under investigation.

Lil Poppa’s Breakthrough 

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Lil Poppa started rapping at the tender age of seven years old. His breakthrough came in 2018 with “Purple Hearts,” a track that was inspired by his harrowing real-life experience surviving a drive-by shooting. It went viral on YouTube. It racked up millions of views and launching his career into the spotlight.

He signed with Interscope Records before joining Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG) in 2022. After that, he released multiple projects including “Blessed,” “I Guess, Half Man Half Vamp,” “Hold That Thought,” and “Almost Normal Again.”

A Voice Which Connected With Fans

Lil Poppa built a reputation emotionally raw tracks that resonated with his audience. Songs like “Love & War,” “Mind Over Matter,” and “HAPPY TEARS” demonstrated his ability to turn both love and pain into storytelling.

In a 2021 interview with Audiomack, the rapper reflected on the impact his music had on listeners. “A lot of people tell me I got them through their toughest times. People say I got them through certain situations, or I stopped them from doing this or doing that. That means a lot,” he shared. “That makes me realize I got the power to change someone’s outlook on a certain situation. So I need to be mature enough to handle my own situations in a mature way.”

He wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable in his work. “We go through so much on a daily basis. So we might feel like we’re at our worst, but we don’t even realize how much of a blessing some situations are,” he said. “Not everyone believes in the idea that everything happens for a reason. But even when we’re feeling like we’re the most cursed at times, we really can’t complain. Ain’t nothing to complain about, because it could be worse.”

Lil Poppa’s Final Days

Just five days before his death, Lil Poppa released “Out of Town Bae” on Valentine’s Day. The official music video dropped on February 13, and fans flooded the comments with love and support – unaware it would be his last release.

Hours before his death was confirmed, he posted a video to his Instagram Story featuring the lyrics to Rod Wave’s “Letting It Go.” The somber message read: “You know what happened / I know what happened / world never will / So in the mean time / I’m tryin’ to find a piece of mind / Hearts all gotta break sometimes.”

The rapper had a Birthday Bash concert scheduled for next month in New Orleans. “This Year I’m Having My Birthday Bash Concert in New Orleans,” he wrote on Instagram in January. “Come Celebrate With Me.”

Fans and Industry Mourn

News of Lil Poppa’s death shocked the hip-hop community. Per The Independent, fans immediately began leaving tributes on his final Instagram post.

“Lil poppa I swear I’m hurt like frrrrrr,” someone else commented, while another wrote, “poppa please say something this can’t be happening.”

On X (formerly Twitter), the tributes continued pouring in. “I listen to lil poppa literally everyday wtf my heart dropped,” one fan shared. Another posted, “Lil Poppa was super talented. Unfortunate to hear, RIP.”

Great Day Records CEO Caroline “Baroline” Diaz, who had worked with the rapper early in his career, expressed her grief on X. She stated: “My little brother is gone. Poppa I love you so much. I am so broken. One of the first artists I had at Interscope. A&R’ed 4 of his projects. I’m so sad right now.”

Lil Poppa’s 16-track album Almost Normal Again dropped in August and featured some of his most introspective work to date. Throughout his career, he remained committed to creating music that spoke to people’s struggles and gave them hope – a legacy that will continue to resonate with fans for many years to come.