Jacksonville Rapper Lil Poppa Dies at 25
He released his latest song, “Out of Town Bae,” just last Friday
Lil Poppa in 2024 (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Jacksonville rapper Lil Poppa has died. His death was ruled a suicide by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, TMZ reports. He was 25.
Born in 2000, Janarious Mykel Wheeler began making music at 7 years old, getting 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. 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 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.
On Wednesday, Meek Mill, Boosie Badazz, Rob49, Dej Loaf, Mozzy, Nardo Wick, Pluto, and Lil Duval all shared tributes to Lil Poppa. “[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.”
