Jacksonville Rapper Lil Poppa Dies at 25

Jacksonville rapper Lil Poppa has died. An official cause of death has not been announced. He was 25.

Born in 2000, Janarious Mykel Wheeler began rapping at 7 years old. He got his start writing religious raps for his local church before pivoting to secular music. Wheeler was just 18 when he broke through in 2018 with “Purple Hearts,” a song about surviving a shooting in his hometown, he was only 18. The track was later featured on his beloved debut mixtape, Under Investigation.

The success of “Purple Hearts” led to Poppa’s signing with Interscope Records. His 2021 debut on the label, Blessed, I Guess, dealt with his conflicted feelings around his sudden fame. The rapper would later sign to Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group, also home to Moneybagg Yo and GloRilla. Poppa’s last album, the 16-track Almost Normal Again, came out in August 2025. His latest song, “Out of Town Bae,” dropped just last Friday.

The hip-hop community has come together to remember Lil Poppa, with Meek Mill, Boosie Badazz, Rob49, Dej Loaf, Mozzy, Nardo Wick, Pluto, and Lil Duval all sharing tributes. “[All] them talks same dream same problems I understand….bro you ah LEGEND I hope you understood that,” fellow Florida rapper Yungeen Ace wrote on Instagram. “The city love you @lilpoppa glad we gotta chance to patch things up and be close.”

Revisit the Pitchfork feature Lil Poppa, Legend Yae, and Why the Best Southern Pain Rap Is More Than Just Sad.