Janarious Mykel Wheeler, known professionally as Lil Poppa, was born on March 18, 2000, in Jacksonville, Florida.
He was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter who built a loyal following through emotionally raw storytelling rooted in the streets of Northeast Florida.
His career ended tragically when he passed away on February 18, 2026, at the age of 25.
Who is Lil Poppa?
Lil Poppa was an American rapper whose music drew directly from his life growing up in Jacksonville, Florida. Born Janarious Mykel Wheeler, he used the stage name “Lil Poppa” — a nickname his mother gave him, with “Lil” added because he always hung around older kids.
His songs dealt with survival, grief, loyalty, and street life. He turned personal trauma into music that connected with listeners far beyond Florida.
SiriusXM described his work as balancing “tales of violence and retribution with loyalty to his loved ones, regret for his missteps, and the desperation to create a better life for himself.”
HotNewHipHop called him “one of rap’s most introspective storytellers” in 2025. His career spanned from 2014 to 2026, resulting in five studio albums, multiple charting mixtapes, and a devoted fanbase.
He passed away on February 18, 2026, in Fulton County, Georgia, at just 25 years old. His death was ruled a suicide by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Early Life of Lil Poppa
Lil Poppa grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, spending time between his mother’s home on the city’s Eastside and his grandmother and aunt’s place on the Westside.
The Eastside neighborhood of Evergreen became central to his identity and later inspired the project name Evergreen Wildchild.
He was occasionally bedridden as a child due to a chronic blood disease. Despite this, he found music early and channeled his experiences into his art.
His oldest brother, Chi Chi, introduced him to rap. Lil Poppa started writing original music for church at the age of seven.
During his youth in Jacksonville, Lil Poppa survived a shooting in which two of his closest friends were killed. That experience haunted him and became the subject of his breakthrough track “Purple Hearts” in 2018.
Lil Poppa Age
Lil Poppa was 25 years old at the time of his death on February 18, 2026, born on March 18, 2000. He was a Pisces.
His birthday fell just 28 days after he passed, meaning he never reached his 26th year.
Lil Poppa Ethnicity and Nationality
Lil Poppa was American. He was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and identified strongly with his Eastside Jacksonville roots throughout his career.
His music was deeply influenced by Southern Black culture, and he frequently referenced his Jacksonville upbringing in interviews and lyrics.
Lil Poppa Height and Weight
Lil Poppa stood 5 feet 8 inches tall, equivalent to 1.73 meters. His weight was reported at around 154 pounds, or approximately 70 kg.
He carried a lean build and a low-key stage presence that matched the introspective tone of his music.
Lil Poppa Musical Style and Influences
Lil Poppa developed a style defined by a languid, singsong flow layered with bittersweet Auto-Tune. His lyrics combined the grit of street storytelling with genuine emotional vulnerability.
XXL described “Purple Hearts” as a “somber audio diary” and a showcase of his “melody-driven delivery and storytelling chops.” Pitchfork gave his debut studio album a 7.3 rating, calling it “conflicted” and “compelling.”
His musical influences included Bow Wow, Chief Keef, and Kodak Black. He learned to rap in church before taking that energy to secular subjects drawn from Jacksonville street life.
Critics placed him within Southern hip-hop and the “Southern pain rap” subgenre. HotNewHipHop wrote that his sound was an “undeniably riveting” style that relied on “the brute honesty that he masked through his melodic delivery.”
Lil Poppa Education
Lil Poppa attended school in Jacksonville, Florida, but his formal education details were never publicly confirmed. By age 12, he had built a makeshift recording studio in his bedroom closet using a laptop and a RadioShack microphone.
He was a member of a local rap group called Cutt Circle during his teen years. That group gave him his first real exposure to collaborative performance before he launched his solo career.
His musical education came largely from his brother Chi Chi, from his church, and from the streets of his neighborhood.
Lil Poppa Career
Lil Poppa’s career ran from 2014 to 2026, producing a catalog that charted on the Billboard 200 and earned RIAA certifications for two singles.
Early Career
Lil Poppa first appeared publicly in 2014 under the name That Boy Poppa, featured on the Cutt Circle track “Lions, Tigers, and Bears.” He began uploading music to SoundCloud and MyMixtapez soon after.
Local DJ Bigga Rankin noticed his work and began sponsoring his mixtapes. That early support helped Lil Poppa reach audiences beyond Jacksonville for the first time.
His early solo releases included Est. 2000 in August 2016 and Life After Desi in August 2017, both hosted by Bigga Rankin. In April 2018, he dropped the EP Evergreen Wildchild, which set the stage for his major breakthrough later that year.
Breakthrough: Under Investigation and Interscope
In October 2018, Lil Poppa released the mixtape Under Investigation. Complex reported it “sent his stock through the roof.” The project spawned two breakout singles: “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Purple Hearts.”
“Purple Hearts” told the story of surviving the shooting that killed two of his friends. The accompanying music video caught the attention of major labels across the industry.
In 2019, Lil Poppa signed with Interscope Records and released his major label debut mixtape Under Investigation 2. That project featured “Eternal Living” with Polo G, a track that later received RIAA gold certification.
He followed that with the mixtape Almost Normal in December 2019 and Evergreen Wildchild 2 in May 2020.
His debut studio album, Blessed, I Guess, arrived in May 2021. It peaked at No. 160 on the Billboard 200. Pitchfork gave it a 7.3, while AllMusic called it a “conflicted, compelling release” and praised his “potent songwriting.” The album’s track “Love & War” later earned RIAA gold certification in 2026.
CMG Era and Final Years
In April 2022, Lil Poppa signed with Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG), an imprint of Interscope. He and Yo Gotti celebrated the deal with the collaborative single “H Spot.”
A week after signing, he released the 21-track mixtape Under Investigation 3. It peaked at No. 194 on the Billboard 200. AllMusic described it as “another showcase for his fluid, fast-paced melodic flow and violent, tormented lyrics.”
Later in 2022, he appeared on “Big League,” the official theme song of the 2022 NBA Finals, alongside Yo Gotti, Moneybagg Yo, and Mozzy. He also co-headlined the Wicked Wildchild United Summer Bash at the Florida Theatre with Jacksonville rapper Nardo Wick.
In November 2022, he released Heavy Is the Head, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. Pitchfork’s Alphonse Pierre wrote that the album was “driven by haunted blues and clear-eyed reflections.”
In 2023, he released Half Man, Half Vamp and collaborated with Jdot Breezy on ENJOY THE SHOW. He followed that with the EP It’s Me, I’m the Problem in December 2023. WEE ARE WHO WE ARE arrived in 2024.
His final studio album, Almost Normal Again, debuted on August 1, 2025, and deepened what HotNewHipHop called his reputation as “one of rap’s most introspective storytellers.” On February 13, 2026, he released the single “Out of Town Bae” — his last official release before his death five days later.
Lil Poppa Discography
Poppa released five studio albums and multiple charting mixtapes between 2016 and 2026:
- Est. 2000 (as That Boy Poppa) — 2016
- Life After Desi — 2017
- Under Investigation — 2018
- Under Investigation 2 — 2019
- Almost Normal — 2019
- Evergreen Wildchild 2 — 2020
- Blessed, I Guess — 2021 (Billboard 200: No. 160)
- Under Investigation 3 — 2022 (Billboard 200: No. 194)
- Heavy Is the Head — 2022 (Billboard Heatseekers: No. 4)
- Half Man, Half Vamp — 2023
- WEE ARE WHO WE ARE — 2024
- Almost Normal Again — 2025
Lil Poppa Awards and Recognition
Poppa earned RIAA gold certification for two singles during his career: “Eternal Living” featuring Polo G, and “Love & War” from his debut album Blessed, I Guess. “Love & War” received its gold certification in 2026.
His mixtape Under Investigation 3 peaked at No. 194 on the Billboard 200 in 2022. Heavy Is the Head reached No. 4 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart the same year.
He received a 7.3 rating from Pitchfork for Blessed, I Guess, a score that placed him among the most critically regarded young Southern rappers of his generation.
Lil Poppa Tours and Concerts
Lil Poppa’s most extensive touring came in 2025 with his first-ever headlining run, the Almost Normal Again tour, a 20-city stretch that marked the largest live campaign of his career.
He had a birthday bash scheduled for March 21, 2026 at the Fillmore in New Orleans, which was cancelled following his passing on February 18, 2026.
Earlier in his career, he co-headlined the Wicked Wildchild United Summer Bash at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville alongside Nardo Wick in June 2022. That concert drew a strong local crowd and underscored his stature as one of Jacksonville’s leading rap voices.
Lil Poppa Partner
Lil Poppa dated Toie Roberts, the daughter of rapper Rick Ross. The couple had one son together, born in 2022.
Following Lil Poppa’s death in February 2026, Toie Roberts shared a public tribute to the late rapper.
She had not publicly confirmed any separation before his passing, and whether the two were still together at the time of his death was not publicly confirmed.
Lil Poppa Children
Lil Poppa had one son with Toie Roberts, born in 2022. The child’s name has not been publicly confirmed. After Lil Poppa’s death, Toie Roberts posted an emotional message about raising their son without his father.
His son PJ, as his biological child, is widely reported to be the heir to Lil Poppa’s estate. Toie Roberts serves as his guardian.
Lil Poppa Net Worth
Lil Poppa’s estimated net worth is $2.3 million as of 2026. His income came from music streaming across platforms including Spotify and Apple Music, YouTube ad revenue, touring, merchandise, and his record deals with Interscope and CMG.
His 2025 Almost Normal Again tour, a 20-city headlining run, added significant live performance income. Streaming royalties from gold-certified singles “Eternal Living” and “Love & War” continue to generate revenue for his estate.
His catalog is expected to produce ongoing royalty income, as streams typically increase sharply following an artist’s death.
Lil Poppa Social Media
Lil Poppa maintained an active presence on Instagram and YouTube throughout his career. His YouTube channel accumulated over 214,000 subscribers, with his most-watched videos reaching over a million views each.
His Instagram account at @lilpoppa grew to over 240,000 followers. Following his death on February 18, 2026, his social media pages became a gathering point for tributes from fans and fellow artists including Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Yo Gotti, Boosie Badazz, and Nardo Wick.
The Bottom Line
Lil Poppa’s debut album Blessed, I Guess entered the Billboard 200 in 2021 and earned a 7.3 rating from Pitchfork, putting him among the most critically recognized young Southern rappers of that era. His single “Love & War” from that album received RIAA gold certification.
He grew up in Jacksonville’s Eastside, bouncing between his mother’s home and his grandmother’s house, and he channeled that upbringing into every project he released. His voice carried the specific weight of a city he loved and refused to leave behind.
His final album, Almost Normal Again, arrived on August 1, 2025, and his last single, “Out of Town Bae,” came out just five days before his passing. He was 25.
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