Prior to his passing on February 19th, was in the midst of facing an auto theft charge, which stemmed from allegations that the rapper had stolen a $375,000 Rolls Royce previously used on a video shoot. Though he was ultimately released on a bond worth $250,000, the charge was likely to weigh over him, possibly risking the ability to stage an international tour — lest we forget, Pop Smoke seemed poised for superstardom, and it wouldn’t have been surprised to see his career take him well beyond the United States.

UZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP Getty Image

Unfortunately, his aspirations were cut tragically short when a group of men broke into his house and fatally shot him. Pop Smoke was only twenty years old, and to this day police have yet to confirm whether it was an armed robbery or a staged hit. In any case, seeing as the rapper is no longer alive, authorities have decided to drop the auto-charge altogether, a bittersweet development in a story otherwise thick with sorrow. The decision to drop the charge was made yesterday. 

You may recall the incident that led Pop Smoke to be charged in the first place. While shooting the “Welcome 2 The Party” video in Los Angeles, Smoke was lent the aforementioned Rolls Royce, only to have it physically transported back to his parent’s home in Brooklyn — all without informing the car’s owner. Upon it being reported stolen, police were ultimately able to track it back to Smoke, and they later arrested the rapper at the airport. 

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