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Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock shot and killed in Los Angeles: What we know and what we don’t know

The hip hop performer grew up in Germantown and got his performer name from the corner of Pastorius and Baynton Streets.

Rapper and North Philadelphia native Rakim Allen, better known as PnB Rock, performing for a sold-out crowd at the Met on North Broad Street in 2018. PnB Rock was shot and killed in Los Angeles on Monday.
Rapper and North Philadelphia native Rakim Allen, better known as PnB Rock, performing for a sold-out crowd at the Met on North Broad Street in 2018. PnB Rock was shot and killed in Los Angeles on Monday.Read moreED NEWTON

Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock was shot and killed Monday in Los Angeles in a robbery, setting off a wave of tributes from fans and fellow musicians.

PnB Rock, whose real name was Rakim Hasheem Allen, was shot multiple times Monday afternoon while being robbed of his jewelry. Allen, 30, was with his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang at a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported.

» READ MORE: Nicki Minaj, Gov. Phil Murphy and more mourn Philly rapper PnB Rock’s death

Allen was taken to a hospital where he later died. Allen’s girlfriend had posted a location-tagged photo on Instagram that was later deleted.

Here’s what we know and don’t know.

Who was PnB Rock?

The hip hop performer grew up in Germantown and got his performer name from the corner of Pastorius and Baynton Streets. Allen was one of five boys raised by a single mother, Hanunah, who instilled in him a love and appreciation of Philly soul and classic hip-hop, even naming him after legendary rapper Rakim.

» READ MORE: Philly’s next big rapper PnB Rock found his sound in prison

His mother pushed him to develop his voice, as Allen would spend most of his time on the block.

Allen had run-ins with the law since he was a teenager. After he was expelled from Germantown High School, Allen dropped out. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison at age 19.

Allen used his experiences on the streets and in prison to develop his music and his sound, combining the R&B crooners with the wordsmith rappers he had been raised with.

PnB Rock’s 2016 single “Selfish” made it on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and he had a few tracks on the soundtrack for the hit 2017 movie The Fate of the Furious. He released his latest track, “Luv Me Again,” earlier this month.

Allen is survived by two daughters. Allen’s former record label, Atlantic Records, confirmed his death Tuesday morning, calling it a “senseless loss” in an Instagram post. The statement was confirmed by a representative for the rapper.

What we know

PnB Rock was at a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles location in South Los Angeles with Sibounheuang when he was killed. Sibounheuang had posted a location-tagged photo to Instagram and the suspect later brandished a handgun inside the restaurant and demanded Allen hand over some of his personal items. Police told the Times that Allen was targeted for his jewelry.

» READ MORE: Philly venues pay tribute to slain rapper PnB Rock

There was a verbal exchange between the suspect and Allen that ended when the suspect shot Allen multiple times almost immediately. The suspect took some items from Allen and fled in a car that had been waiting in the parking lot, police said.

No one else was injured in the shooting.

Allen was shot at 1:15 p.m. in the restaurant. Footage circulated on social media that appeared to show Allen in the restaurant after he was shot.

The rapper was taken a to a local hospital and pronounced dead at 1:59 p.m. Monday.

What we don’t know

Police had not identified the shooter as of Tuesday morning or recovered a weapon.

It was also unclear if the shooter had been led to Allen by the location-tagged social media post.

Allen had spoken about previous robbery attempts on an episode of the podcast “Off the Record with DJ Akademiks,” the Times reported.