PnB Rock

Rakim Hasheem Allen (December 9, 1991 – September 12, 2022), better known by his stage name PnB Rock, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter.^[5] He gained a large following in 2016 with his song "Selfish", which peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as his feature on the song "Cross Me" by Ed Sheeran, alongside Chance the Rapper. He also provided uncredited vocals on XXXTentacion's hit single "Changes", which reached the top 20 on the same chart.

PnB Rock
PnB Rock performing in 2016
Background information
Birth name	Rakim Hasheem Allen^[1]
Also known as	PnB
Born	(1991-12-09)December 9, 1991 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	September 12, 2022(2022-09-12) (aged 30) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop R&B trap pop^[2]
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2014–2022
Labels	New Lane Atlantic
Children	2^[4]
Website	pnbrockofficial.com

He released two studio albums, Catch These Vibes (2017) and TrapStar Turnt PopStar (2019), the latter of which reached the top five on the Billboard 200 chart. PnB Rock was chosen as part of the 2017 XXL Freshman Class.

On September 12, 2022, PnB Rock was shot and killed at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles during a robbery in Los Angeles.

Early life

Rakim Hasheem Allen was born on December 9, 1991,^[6][7] in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a Muslim family.^[8] Allen's father was murdered when he was three years old. He was primarily raised by his mother. In his teen years, he lived in Northeast Philadelphia.^[9] He grew up listening to artists such as rapper 2Pac and R&B group Jodeci.^[10][11] At the age of 13, Allen was sent to a youth detention program for committing robberies and fighting in school. When he turned 19, he was sentenced to 33 months in prison for drug possession and other crimes. Allen was homeless for a short period after being released from prison.^[12] He never finished high school.^[13] Allen later adopted the stage name PnB Rock, which paid homage to Pastorius and Baynton, a street corner near where he grew up in Germantown.^[13]

Career

On June 24, 2014, PnB Rock released his debut mixtape, Real N*gga Bangaz. He wrote the mixtape while he was incarcerated.^[11] In 2015, PnB Rock signed a record deal with Atlantic Records, and his first project under the label was the release of his third mixtape RnB3.^[14] In June 2016, he released the single "Selfish", which peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[15] In October 2016, Rolling Stone included him in their list of "10 New Artists You Need to Know".^[16]

On January 10, 2017, he released his second retail mixtape album, GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions, through Atlantic Records and Empire Distribution.^[17] The album debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard 200 chart.^[18] Subsequently, in April 2017, he contributed to the soundtrack of The Fate of the Furious with two singles: "Gang Up" with Young Thug, 2 Chainz, and Wiz Khalifa^[19] and "Horses" with Kodak Black and A Boogie wit da Hoodie.^[20] In June 2017, PnB Rock was named as one of the ten members of XXL's "2017 Freshman Class" along with A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Playboi Carti, Ugly God, Kyle, Aminé, MadeinTYO, Kamaiyah, Kap G, and XXXTentacion.^[21]

His debut album TrapStar Turnt PopStar was released in May 2019.^[22] PnB Rock and Chance the Rapper were featured on Ed Sheeran's song "Cross Me" from Sheeran's album No.6 Collaborations Project.^[23] In January 2020, PnB Rock released the track "Ordinary" featuring late rapper Pop Smoke and in January 2021, he featured for the late rapper King Von, on a song titled "Rose Gold".^[24] In February 2022, PnB Rock released the mixtape SoundCloud Daze which featured various artists including Pasto Flocco, Iayze and Yung Fazo.^[25] He independently released "Luv Me Again" on September 2, 2022, which was the last single he released during his lifetime.^[26]

Death

Killing of PnB Rock
Date	September 12, 2022; 4 months ago (2022-09-12) 1:59 p.m. (PST)
Attack type	Homicide by shooting, robbery
Victim	Rakim Hasheem Allen, a.k.a. PnB Rock, aged 30
Motive	Under investigation
Accused	Unnamed 17-year old Shauntel Trone Freddie Lee Trone
Charges	17-year old juvenile and Freddie Trone: First-degree murder Second-degree robbery (2 counts) Conspiracy to commit robbery Shauntel Trone: Accessory to murder

On September 12, 2022, PnB Rock was robbed and fatally shot at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles near Main Street and Manchester Avenue in South Los Angeles.^[27] He saved his partner, with whom he had a two-year-old daughter, by throwing her under a table.^[28]

On September 28, 2022, the LAPD confirmed that an unnamed 17-year old juvenile had been arrested in connection to the murder, and a 32-year old woman, Shauntel Trone, had been arrested for accessory to murder.^[29] The following day, a third suspect was arrested: the 17-year old's father, Freddie Trone. The juvenile and Freddie Trone were charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.^[30] If convicted of the murder charge, the juvenile faces up to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, and Freddie Trone faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty.^[31]

Discography

Main article: PnB Rock discography

Studio albums

• Catch These Vibes (2017)
• TrapStar Turnt PopStar (2019)

See also

• List of murdered musicians
• List of murdered hip hop musicians

References

1. "Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock arrested on drug and gun charges at Bucks County development". The Philadelphia Tribune. from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
2. "PnB Rock and His Lonely Hearts Club Bangers". Noisey.vice.com. from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
3. "PNB Rock Laid to Rest During Muslim Funeral Service in Philadelphia". September 22, 2022.
4. Grant, Shawn (September 12, 2022). "PnB Rock Shot and Killed in Robbery Attempt at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles". The Source. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
5. "Kelsie Smith". SXSW 2020 Schedule. from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
6. "PnB Rock – Profile". HotNewHipHop. from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
7. PnB Rock May 25, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, AllMusic
8. "PNB Rock's Family is Having a Hard Time Retrieving the Rapper's Body". BET.
9. "PnBRock Discusses His Criminal Past, Being Named after Hip-Hop Legend Rakim, & The Philly Curse. He was also related to XXXTENTACION and he shows this in the music video, "MIDDLE CHILD"". Global Grind. April 25, 2016. from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
10. "The Break Presents: PnB Rock". XXL. August 15, 2015. from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
11. . Atlantic Records. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
12. "PnB Rock Explains Journey From Homelessness To Hot 100 & Credits Instagram For His Success". HipHopDX. from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
13. "Meet PnB Rock, The Philly Prince Who Will Steal Your Girl". The Fader. from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
14. "PnB Rock – RnB 3 – Download And Stream". HotNewHipHop. November 3, 2015. from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
15. "PnB Rock – Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
16. "10 New Artists You Need to Know: October 2016". Rolling Stone. October 21, 2016. from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
17. Turner, David (January 23, 2017). "GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions". Pitchfork. from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
18. "PnB Rock – Chart history". Billboard. from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
19. Setaro, Shawn (March 23, 2017). . Pigeons and Planes. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
20. Findlay, Mitch (March 30, 2017). "PnB Rock – Horses Feat. Kodak Black & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie". HotNewHipHop. from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
21. "XXL Freshman 2017 Cover Revealed". XXL. June 13, 2017. from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
22. Espinoza, Joshua (May 3, 2019). "Stream PnB Rock's Two-Disc LP 'TrapStar Turnt PopStar' f/ Quavo, Tory Lanez, Diplo, and More". Complex. from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
23. Pearce, Sheldon (May 24, 2019). ""Cross Me" [ft. Chance the Rapper and PnB Rock]". Pitchfork. from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
24. Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (September 12, 2022). "PnB Rock Shot Dead in Los Angeles". Pitchfork. from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
25. Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (January 28, 2022). "PnB Rock Taps Underground Talent For Collaborative 'SoundCloud Daze' Mixtape". HipHopDX. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
26. "Rapper PnB Rock fatally shot during robbery at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles". Los Angeles Times. September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
27. "Rapper PnB Rock fatally shot during robbery at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles". Los Angeles Times. September 12, 2022. from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
28. "PnB Rock death: Girlfriend reveals late rapper saved her life". BBC News. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
29. "Minor among 2 arrested in slaying of rapper PnB Rock; 3rd suspect sought". September 29, 2022.
30. "Three charged in murder and robbery of PnB Rock at Roscoe's restaurant". Los Angeles Times. September 29, 2022.
31. "California Code, Penal Code - PEN § 187".

External links

• Official website