LOS ANGELES • Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed on Wednesday in a rented multimillion-dollar home in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills.

Police are now searching for several suspects, at least one of whom was armed and wearing a mask during the incident.

The Los Angeles Police Department declined to identify 20-year-old Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, as the victim of the shooting but his record label confirmed his death.

The police arrived at the Hollywood Hills property at about 4.55am on Wednesday after a friend of the victim alerted the authorities that multiple suspects had broken into the residence.

A police spokesman said the victim was found inside the house, suffering from gunshot wounds, and transported to nearby Cedars Sinai Medical Centre where he died of his injuries "some hours later".

Witnesses said there were up to six suspects, at least one of whom wore a mask.

The rapper, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, was perhaps best known during his short career for the 2019 single Welcome To The Party, which invokes gun violence.

A remix featured rapper Nicki Minaj, who posted a picture of Pop Smoke on her Instagram account after news of the murder became public.

"The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest In Peace, Pop," Minaj said in the post.

He released his first album, Meet The Woo, in July while his second album - Meet The Woo 2 - opened this month at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Los Angeles Times reported that he was believed by investigators to be affiliated with a street gang, but the police spokesman said it was too early in the investigation to draw conclusions about the nature of the slaying.

REUTERS