The woman who was with Pop Smoke at the time of his murder two years ago has spoken out about the tragedy for the first time.
On the premiere episode of WeTV's Hip Hop Homicides, which aired on Nov. 3, Amelia Rose, the woman who happened to be with Pop Smoke in his bedroom just moments before he was fatally shot on Feb. 19, 2020, provided a harrowing account of what went down that night. In an investigative interview with the show's host, Van Lathan, Amelia Rose described the fear that was instilled in her when a masked gunman entered the Los Angeles home where Pop Smoke was staying at the time. She also reiterated what she believes to have been the slain Brooklyn, N.Y. drill rapper's final words.
"Pop said he was going to upstairs," Amelia Rose told Van Lathan in the video clip below. "I'm sitting on the bed and I'm starting to take off my clothes, and he said, 'OK, I'll come back.' He was going to the restroom and so this was his last words."
"This moment, it was like a couple seconds and I hear the noise," she continued as she described hearing a sliding glass door open. "The guy was in the mask and his gun was like looking at me, you know? His eyes made me so scared. They run to the restroom, Pop screamed, 'What?'"
From there, Rose tearfully recounts how Pop Smoke was taken out of the bathroom, and following a brief commotion, she heard the gunshot ring out that would ultimately lead to his death. Elsewhere in the episode of Hip Hop Homicides, Rose explains that she has trouble sleeping at night and how she's still in a state of shock that she wasn't killed at the same time Pop was and is alive to tell the story.
Pop Smoke, born Bashar Jackson, was shot and killed during a home invasion in Hollywood, Calif. on Feb. 19, 2020. Five people have been arrested and charged in connection to Pop's death. Two of the five suspects are minors whose names have been withheld from the public due to their age. As for the others, 19-year-old Corry Walker and 22-year-old Keandre Rodgers, they potentially face the death penalty if they are convicted of murder and robbery charges. The fifth suspect, 22-year-old Jaquan Murphy, is currently facing a charge of attempted murder.
Watch the Woman Who Pop Smoke Was With During His Murder Speak Out for the First Time in the Clip Below
In the past, Amelia Rose has used her Instagram account as an outlet to express the trauma she's suffered as a result of being a witness to Pop Smoke's death. Back on Feb. 6, Amelia paid homage to the late "What You Know Bout Love" artist, thanking him for visiting her in her dreams and declaring that she's willing to do whatever it takes to bring Pop's killers to justice.
"I’m still crying about you [Pop Smoke]," she wrote in an Instagram post accompanied by a video montage of various moments from throughout Pop Smoke's career. "I still remember your smile and laughter. You were a wonderful person, you were a gentleman [and] a romantic gangster. I will never forget you. My heart is broken and I'll probably live all my life with this pain. Thank you for coming to me in my dreams and telling me to be strong. I want someone to tell me that all this is a terrible dream. I still can't believe that this happened. I'm so angry that they took the life of such a talented guy. I will fight for justice and truth."
On Sept. 19, Rose returned to Instagram to describe yet another series of vivid dreams she's had in which Pop Smoke introduces her to his family, offers up words of encouragement and points out a person who may be partially responsible for the Brooklyn native's untimely death.
"Sometimes, I have dreams over and over again," wrote Amelia Rose. "My brain shows me the moment of the murder and I'm in such panic and pain. I wake up with a panic attack and a strong heartbeat. It's such a strong pain inside me, tears, such a trauma. Then, I'm in a state of shock all day from this dream and the memories of him and this night. The most interesting thing is that these dreams are dreamed very often on the 19th of any month.
"Very often, I see him in my dreams and he tells me, 'Sorry, you have this because of me,'" she continued. "Very often, he warns me in dreams that they can kill me and says that he will be with me until the end of this case. He is still here, waiting for a movie about him, telling me until he is sure that I will be fine, he will not leave. I remember how I asked him, 'How can I write a message to your family? It is very important for me.'"
Amelia goes on to write: "He took my hand and showed his mother. She was sitting on a gray sofa. The color was similar to gray. She looked at his photos and he said, 'This is my momma and I love her so much.' I looked at the photos and saw two boys in the photo, and asked her who it [was]. She said it [was] his brother. I said, 'Pop Smoke has a brother?' and she said, 'Yes.' I immediately woke up and started looking on Instagram and when I found it, I was shocked that I saw this boy in my dream. Honestly, it’s easier for me to live now when he [comes] to my dreams and I understand that he didn’t leave me alone in this situation. I remember when I had a suicide, he was so mad. He says, 'Don’t do this. You should have a daughter soon.' Now, I try to live like this. He saves me with his support and words."
Amelia Rose finished the IG post by explaining that in her dreams, Pop Smoke points out a woman who she says Pop tells her is connected to his murder.
"In dreams, he often shows me the same woman," she wrote. "He is so angry with her. [He] says, 'If it weren’t for her, I would be alive.' He took my hand and opened a big door and there was a striptease club, and he points to her again and again. [Four] times I dreamed that he showed me her. Sorry for my English, but I hope everyone understands what I wrote."
Since Pop Smoke's tragic shooting death in 2020, the Brooklyn rhymer has had two posthumous albums, Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon and Faith, both reach a peak position of No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In September of 2021, the late "For The Night" artist's gravesite was desecrated by vandals and most recently, many Pop Smoke fans were appalled after photos surfaced of his alleged 17-year-old killer posing in front of a Pizza Hut box laid out on his prison bed.
Editor's note: XXL's Editor-In-Chief Vanessa Satten worked on the first season of Hip Hop Homicides.