Hindsight is always 20-20, and following the death of Pop Smoke, his loved ones grappled with where things went wrong to lead up to his tragic death. In February, the news of Pop Smoke’s murder quickly circulated worldwide after he was callously gunned down during a home invasion robbery in Los Angeles. Authorities have apprehended suspects involved, and while the case against them builds, Pop’s brother Obasi Jackson discusses the rapper’s death on Peace of Mind with Taraji.
“All of that stuff he went through, it was just—there was a time when he went through a situation where people would put him down and count him out. There was a lot of threats on his life because of that,” Obasi said on the Facebook Watch series. “People were trying to figure out where the threats were coming from. I didn’t think that anybody would do that and it’s just a lot that goes into it.”
Obasi also struggles with why his brother was out and about without the proper protection. “You go out there with no security. I’m just like, I can’t even fathom,” he said. “It’s mind-boggling to me that someone would let a superstar go out with no security. That still plays on my mind. That just don’t make no sense. So, I don’t wanna point finger, that’s not who I am as a person, but the truth is what the truth is and that’s something that bothers me.”
“That weekend, that Sunday, I had just seen him,” Obasi said of his final conversation with his brother. “Me and my mom and my brother sat in the room and talked for hours, which had not happened in years. That last conversation was, okay, I know my brother loves me and he knows I definitely love him.” Obasi began to choke up and added, “He said that he loved me.”
The grieving process has no time frame or limitations, and Obasi explained that he’s “pushing through it” when it pertains to mourning his brother. “I cry. I’m a firm believer in men, Black men, too, they should be vulnerable,” he added. “Black men should be vulnerable and allow themselves to open up and show the world what they’re feeling and who they really are. We’ve been suppressed. We’ve been locked up. And that’s where all this barbaric sort of actions come from.”
“Where does this stop? It’s not just Pop Smoke. It’s not just King Von. It’s not just Nipsey [Hussle].” Make sure to tune into Peace of Mind with Taraji on Facebook Watch to hear what else Obasi Jackson had to say about Pop Smoke. His episode airs Monday, January 4 at 9amPT/12pmET.
