Roughly a week before he was killed during a robbery, rapper PnB Rock revealed on a podcast that he thought he and his family may have been targeted while out in Los Angeles.
PnB Rock, 30, was shot to death at a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in L.A. on Monday, where he was dining with his girlfriend, Stephanie Sibounheuang. Fans and some celebrities blamed Sibounheuang in the aftermath for having shared their location on social media, theorizing that the post may have led the culprits to where they were.
But days before his death, PnB Rock opened up about feeling like he'd been targeted before. Speaking with media personality DJ Akademiks, he said L.A. criminals are "bold" and that they "want to spark a conversation with you first."
He recalled being approached during one tense encounter when he was out with his girlfriend and daughter in L.A.
"I [was] trying to be cool because you don't want to be nervous and make it seem like something's about to [happen]," he said. "You want them to be as calm as possible."
He also acknowledged how "common" it was for rappers to be targeted by robbers but added that he'd so far avoided falling victim himself.
"I never got robbed, ever in my life," the rapper continued. "I ain't gonna say 'never.' I'm not superstitious or nothing like that, but I haven't been robbed."
"That's why I feel like L.A.'s spooky, man," Akademiks said. "It's just so bold...Broad daylight, that's when they really do it."
Fans and music industry titans alike have mourned PnB Rock's death this week on social media. Nicki Minaj encouraged her Twitter followers to stop posting their locations, citing the 2020 killing of rapper Pop Smoke after his address was seen in an Instagram post.
"After Pop Smoke there's no way we as rappers or our loved ones are still posting locations to our whereabouts," Minaj wrote on Twitter. "To show waffles & some fried chicken????! He was such a pleasure to work with. Condolences to his mom & family. This makes me feel so sick. Jesus."
The bio on PnB Rock's Instagram stated that he was an independent artist. But his former label Atlantic Records issued a statement about his death on Tuesday.
"PnB Rock was more than an artist. To many, Rakim Allen was a great friend. He was also a wonderful father to two beautiful little girls," the label wrote in a tweet. "This news is heavy on our hearts and we are all hurting over this senseless loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time."
Newsweek reached out to Atlantic Records and PnB Rock's management for comment.
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