Lil Poppa gave a face to his rap music which he started at a young age and perfected his craft by singing in the church and creating lyrics with his brother. After sharing his music on social media and getting signed to Interscope, his career profile shot forward. Known for songs like Purple Hearts, Smoke, and the project Blessed, I Guess, he has come full circle starting from the church and making a name on the street where he perfected his craft.
Despite his success, the Jackson-born rapper had it tough balancing the loss of friends to gun violence and recording over three albums.
Here Is Everything We Found Out About Lil Poppa
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1. His Early Life And Age
The ace rapper was born Janarius Mykel Wheeler on August 3, 1994, in Jacksonville where he also spent his early life. According to sources, he grew up alongside an older brother who was a rapper and a younger brother whose names are undisclosed.
Lil Poppa is a moniker he got from a childhood nickname Poppa and he later added Lil to it because he hung out with older kids. At the moment, Lil Poppa is 30 years old.
2. Lil Poppa Is Suffering From A Blood Disease
Despite the level he attained in his musical career, Lil Poppa’s life has always been shadowed by a blood disease. Right from childhood, the Jackson native was slowed down by bouts of sickness periodically which left him bedridden.
Even in the face of this Lil Poppa has risen above the challenge of flail health to be the best that he can be.
3. He Started Recording Music From His Bedroom
Long before he became a household name on the Jacksonville rap stage, Janarius whose moniker is Lil Poppa started recording his music in the privacy of his bedroom. It was also there that he collaborated with his brother in writing songs too. He released early works such as his Life After Desi in 2017 and the first installment of Evergreen Wildcat the following year.
He reached better reviews with his October 2018 release of Under Investigation and this would create a bubble stronger than his initial projects. That success came through in part due to the use of social platforms like Soundcloud and MyMixtapez to showcase his work.
Though the popularity will come later after he signed a record deal, that initial attempt helped in putting out his music to the world.
4. His Breakout Song Purple Hearts Was Inspired By a Driveby Shooting
He survived a 2018 drive-by shooting that ended the life of his friends, as a result, Janarius relived the sad event in his breakout song Purple Hearts. Having caught the attention of many people such as the prominent DJ Bigga Rankin, Lil Poppa’s moment came with the song’s release.
Smoke is another closely related track on his Under Investigation EP that paid homage to his fallen friend.
Apart from announcing his sound, style, and arrival on the rap stage, the song was a breakout hit that helped to secure a record label deal with Interscope in 2019.
5. Lil Poppa Released His Hit Label Debut With Interscope
His initial recognition by prominent members of the rap world did not give him the needed edge that a record label affords big artists. However, it was at Interscope that the rapper released other hit projects.
Notably, his style which is described as ambiguous and subtle sweeps over his own perspective and sometimes conflicting thoughts. He debuted on the Interscope label with the song Man of the Year followed by his first label album Blessed, I Guess in 2021. The album reached 160 on the Billboard 200.
6. The Jacksonville Native Was Tutored By His Older Brother
Lil Poppa is a prodigy having shown his talent for singing since the age of six when he sang in church. Notably, he had a close relationship with other members of his family, especially his maternal grandmother who took him to church.
Despite having the gift, he was tutored by his older brother, whose name he refused to reveal. At the time, his brother was also into rap music. He did not continue in the church after finding his niche in the music industry.
He released his first recordings under his Moniker at the age of 14. Ever since he became one of the popular rap acts from Jacksonville. So far he has more than three albums to his credit:
- Under Investigation(2019)
- Almost normal(2019)
- Evergreen Wildchild(2020)
- Blessed I Guess(2021)
- Under Investigation(2022)
7. Lil Poppa And Toie Roberts Are Expecting Their First Child Together
The Jackson-born rapper is dating Toie Roberts, the first child of rapper Ric Ross. s per reports, they had initially not confirmed rumors surrounding their relationship in the past yet, but ever since she got pregnant for Lil Poppa, it is no longer a rumor.
Notably the 23 year old was initially rumored to be pregnant as far back as 2019 but it was later proven false. The early rumor also suggested her having a bad relationship with her father, Ric Ross who allegedly got so angry that he unfollowed her on Instagram.
While the claim was refuted at the time, her and Janarius’ baby shower in May 2022 has confirmed her pregnancy and relationship with the rapper. Their expected baby’s name was not revealed but the abbreviation PJ gives a good pointer to the name.
Going by the event’s pictures, the couple’s first child is a great addition to them as even Toie’s father was in attendance at his grandchild’s baby shower.
8. How He Lost His Brother
The rapper’s brother, Luh Leek was reported by many sources to have been killed on the set of a music video. While it is sure he grew up creating rhymes and rapping with his elder brother, it is not clear if Luh Leek is his biological brother or not. As the story goes, the death of Luh Leek is filled with many holes that are not so clear
Leek may have been crossed in a gang rivalry between the ATK and KTA movements. Notably, Leek and Lil Poppa have an affiliation to the ATK alongside acts such as Yungeen. The sad death of Luh Leeks is likely a result of Yungeen’s beef with members of the KTA comprising Julio Foolio, and CoJack among many others.
9. Lil Poppa Had Many Collaborations
In his rise to the top, Lil Poppa has not only changed labels but has collaborated with many rappers. He featured acts like Toosii and Seddy Hendrix in his 2021 album Blessed, I Guess.
He had a collaboration with Yo Gotti on the single H Spot in April 2022. The affiliation is a subtle announcement of his signing to the CMG record label. This did not go unnoticed as it makes him a member of the roster alongside acts like Moneybagg Yo, Wave Chapelle, BlacBoy JB, Snootie Wild, 4 Dugg, and many others.
See Also: Billion Leonard Roberts Is Rick Ross’s Son- His Mother, Siblings, And Other Facts
10. How Much Is Lil Poppa’s Net Worth?
Having started his career at a young age, it is curious to know if Lil Poppa is financially buoyant or not. As it is now, the Purple Hearts crooner has not revealed his net worth even though many sources are quoting figures as high as $500000.
While this amount is nothing close to Ric Ross’s net worth of $45 million, Lil Poppa is just starting his career. Compared to Ross’s career of more than a decade that has spawned 11 studio albums and over 140 singles, he is likely going to have great success at the pace he is going. Moreso, he is dating Ric Ross’s daughter and now they are expecting a child together.
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