PnB Rock

Philly-based vocalist, MC, and tunesmith Rakim Hasheem Allen, known professionally as PnB Rock, first gained traction in 2015 via the track “Jealous” that featured Fetty Wap. Skillfully merging hip-hop, R&B, trap, and pop, he delivered his introductory full-length Catch These Vibes in 2017; two years later came the high-profile TrapStar Turnt PopStar, which entered the Billboard 200 at number four. He maintained a steady output right up to his passing in September 2022.

Allen adopted the stage name PnB Rock from the intersection of Pastorius and Baynton Streets in his native Philadelphia. His recording career began in 2014 with the mixtape RnB, whose title highlighted the fusion of R&B and rap that defined his sound. Early the next year RnB2 surfaced and drew notice from Atlantic, which signed him and issued RNB3 along with “Jealous” featuring Fetty Wap in 2015. The pair followed with the 2016 mixtape Money, Hoes & Flows. Throughout that year Rock contributed guest verses to songs by Kodak Black, YFN Lucci, Kevin Hart, and additional artists. Atlantic put out GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions early in 2017; initially positioned as his first official album, it was later reclassified as a mixtape and included appearances by Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie, ultimately reaching the Top 30 of the Billboard 200. That summer XXL named him to its 2017 Freshman Class, after which he released the single “Time.” His genuine studio debut Catch These Vibes arrived in November 2017 and climbed into the Billboard 200’s Top 20. In 2018 he joined XXXTentacion on “Smash!” and appeared with Tory Lanez and Trey Songz on “S.W.I.N.G.” The second proper studio album, Trapstar Turnt PopStar, followed in 2019. Rock’s 2020 single “Ordinary” paired him with Pop Smoke, while “Rose Gold” featured King Von. In 2021 he issued “Need Somebody” and “Forever Never,” the latter uniting him with Swae Lee and Pink Sweat$. December brought the EP 2 Get You Thru the Rain. After launching his own imprint, New Lane Entertainment, he independently dropped the single “Luv Me Again” in September 2022. Ten days later, on September 12, PnB Rock was fatally shot during a robbery at a Los Angeles restaurant; he was 30.