Hundreds of people lined the streets outside Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church on Saturday morning to say a final goodbye to Lil Poppa, the Jacksonville rapper who died Feb. 18 at 25 years old. Family, friends, and fans traveled from across the country to attend the public service, which began at 10 a.m. and was simultaneously streamed on his official YouTube channel for supporters unable to make the trip.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a suicide following a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Georgia. He was born Janarious Mykel Wheeler.
Lil Poppa’s legacy in Jacksonville and beyond
For those who knew Lil Poppa the longest, the outpouring of grief today came as no surprise. Jacksonville chef John Cartel said he had known the rapper since he was 11 years old, watching him grow from a young artist into someone with national reach. Cartel described him simply as a legend, not just in Jacksonville but across the country.
That reputation was built through music that leaned into emotional honesty and raw storytelling. Lil Poppa signed with Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group in 2022, which brought him broader visibility and national recognition. At the time of his death, he had nearly 1 million Instagram followers and more than 600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. His catalog included tracks like Love and War and Mind Over Matter, as well as the project Almost Normal Again, work that resonated with listeners drawn to his willingness to be vulnerable.
Family grief and a mother’s public tribute
The service at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church reflected the scale of his impact. Church officials implemented strict security measures at the family’s request, prohibiting phones, cameras, and recording devices of any kind inside the building. His sister, Orieon Wheeler, announced the YouTube livestream so that fans worldwide could participate in the tribute without compromising the family’s privacy during the service.
Among those processing the loss publicly was Toie Roberts, the daughter of rapper Rick Ross and the mother of Lil Poppa’s young son. In a statement shared on social media, Roberts described the grief of raising their child without his father while also pushing back against online criticism directed at her in the days following his death. She wrote that the public only ever saw fragments of their relationship and that what they shared could not be reduced to what appeared online.
Roberts addressed the rapper directly at the end of her tribute, telling him their son would be taken care of and thanking him for everything they had experienced together.
A loss that extends beyond music
Lil Poppa’s death has prompted wider conversations within the hip-hop community about mental health and the pressures facing young artists. He was a father to a son born in 2022, and those closest to him described a person whose music reflected genuine inner struggle. His passing at 25 cut short a career that had only recently found its full footing on a national stage.
For those struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support around the clock through call, text, or chat.
