‘A whole village destroyed with one shot’: how PnB Rock’s murder shook hip-hop

The emcee was fatally shot in Los Angeles, joining a list of rappers murdered in the City of Angels

Rapper PnB Rock well knew the dangers Los Angeles posed for people in his line of work. During a podcast appearance earlier this month the 30-year-old described a confrontation that had taken place while out with his girlfriend and daughter. “People see me out with my family, and I guess they think I’m out here lackin’,” the Selfish rapper confessed to hip-hop arbiter DJ Akademiks. “Where I’m from, we, like, sneaky criminals. But in LA, they bold.”

The haunting episode has only become more so since PnB Rock, real name Rakim Hasheem Allen, was fatally shot on 12 September while at lunch with his girlfriend at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles – a landmark family dining establishment in Los Angeles. Witnesses say the unidentified gunman stole PnB’s Rolex watch and jewelry after shooting him multiple times. A suspect has yet to be arrested in the ongoing murder investigation.