Rakim Hasheem Allen (December 9, 1991 – September 12, 2022), better known by his stage name PnB Rock, was an American rapper and singer. 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 Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

, alongside

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape ''10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

. He also provided uncredited vocals on XXXTentacion's hit single "

Changes Changes may refer to: Books * ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel * ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinso ...

", which reached the top 20 on the same chart. 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, in the Germantown neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, to a Muslim family. 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 Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending ...

. He grew up listening to artists such as rapper

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

and R&B group

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their musical careers as two duos of brothers and, after years of lim ...

. 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. He never finished high school. 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.

Career

On June 24, 2014, PnB Rock released his debut mixtape, ''Real N*gga Bangaz''. He wrote the mixtape while he was incarcerated. In 2015, PnB Rock signed a record deal with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...

, and his first project under the label was the release of his third mixtape ''RnB3''. In June 2016, he released the single " Selfish", which peaked at number 51 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In October 2016, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' included him in their list of "10 New Artists You Need to Know". On January 10, 2017, he released his second retail mixtape album, '' GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions'', through Atlantic Records and

Empire Distribution EMPIRE Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. (marketed as EMPIRE) is an American distribution company and record label founded in by Ghazi Shami with offices in New York City, London, Nashville, and Atlanta. It has released albums in vario ...

. The album debuted at number 28 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Subsequently, in April 2017, he contributed to the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of ''

The Fate of the Furious ''The Fate of the Furious'' (alternatively known as ''F8'' and titled on-screen as ''Fast & Furious 8'' internationally) is a 2017 American action film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to '' Furious 7'' ...

'' with two singles: " Gang Up" with

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, ...

, and

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Records, Warner Bros ...

and "

Horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

" with

Kodak Black Bill Kahan Kapri (born Dieuson Octave; June 11, 1997), better known by his stage name Kodak Black, is an American rapper. He gained initial recognition with his single "No Flockin", released in 2014. His debut album, ''Painting Pictures'' (20 ...

and A Boogie wit da Hoodie. 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 Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Carter was initially signed to local underground label Awful Records prior to signing with ASAP Mob's AWGE Label under Interscope ...

, Ugly God, Kyle,

Aminé Adam Aminé Daniel (born April 18, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He first gained notability for his commercial debut single, "Caroline", which peaked at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Aminé released hi ...

, MadeinTYO, Kamaiyah, Kap G, and XXXTentacion. His debut album '' TrapStar Turnt PopStar'' was released in May 2019. PnB Rock and

were featured on

's song " Cross Me" from Sheeran's album ''

No.6 Collaborations Project ''No.6 Collaborations Project'' is the fourth studio album and first collaboration album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records on 12 July 2019. The album features guest appearances f ...

''. 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 Dayvon Daquan Bennett (August 9, 1994 – November 6, 2020), known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He was signed to Lil Durk's record label Only the Family and Empire Distribution. Early life Benne ...

, 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 Luv or LUV may refer to: Films and television * ''Luv'' (TV series), a BBC sitcom * ''Luv'' (play), a Broadway play and 1967 film * ''Luv'' (film), 1967 film * ''LUV'' (film), 2012 film Music *Luv (group), a Korean pop group *Luv', a Dutch pop ...

" on September 2, 2022, which was the last single he released during his lifetime.

Death

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 South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as ...

. He saved his partner, with whom he had a two-year-old daughter, by throwing her under a table. 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. 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 Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

, two counts of second-degree

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

, and one count of

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agr ...

to commit robbery. If convicted of the murder charge, the juvenile faces up to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed te ...

with the possibility of

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

, and Freddie Trone faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty.

Discography

Studio albums *'' Catch These Vibes'' (2017) *'' TrapStar Turnt PopStar'' (2019)

References

External links