On September 12th 2022, rap artists Rakim
Hasheem Allen, better known by his stage name
PnB Rock, was shot and killed while eating with
his girlfriend in Los Angeles at Roscoes House
of Chicken n’ Waffles. Allen was only 30 years
old.
Rakim Allen rose to fame with his hit single “Selfish” which peaked at number 51 in the US
Billboard Hot 100 in June of 2016. He was signed with Atlantic Records and collaborated with
Wiz Khalifa, Young Thug, and Kodak Black.His debut album TrapStar Turnt PopStar was
released in May 2019. PnB Rock and Chance the Rapper were featured on Ed Sheeran’s song
“Cross Me” from Sheeran’s album No.6 Collaborations Project. In January 2020, PnB Rock
released the track “Ordinary” featuring late rapper Pop Smoke; in January 2021, he featured for
the late rapper King Von, on a song titled “Rose Gold”. In February 2022, PnB Rock released
the mixtape SoundCloud Daze which featured various artists including Pasto Flocco, Iayze and
Yung Fazo. He independently released “Luv Me Again” on September 2, 2022, which was the
last single he released during his lifetime.
Following his death, there has been an urgencyto assign blame. PnB’s girlfriend, Stephanie
Sibounheuang, has been vilified for posting a geo-tagged Instagram story of their fatal lunch
date at Roscoe’s, a local chain Barack Obama visited while campaigning for a second term in
the Oval Office. Nicki Minaj was one who took particular exception to Sibounheuang’s post.
“You’re not loved like you think you are!!! You’re prey!!! In a world full of predators!!!” she
tweeted in a warning to her peers. PnB is the latest rapper who has been cut down in his prime.
Other recent hip-hop casualties include his former collaborators XXXTentacion (2018) and Pop
Smoke (2020); PnB also joins Biggie (1997), Smoke and Nipsey Hussle (2019) on the
disheartening list of hip-hoppers who have lost their lives in the City of Angels. The LAPD chief,
Michel Moore, singled out Sibounheuang’s Instagram post as the probable prompt for the
robbery, which investigators suspect was a two-man job.