Qidere Johnson, better known by his stage name LGP Qua, was tragically shot dead at the age of 30.
The Philadelphia rapper was gunned down just before 4:40PM on Sunday (May 11), in the city’s Juniata Park neighborhood, near the intersection of M Street and East Luzerne Street, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
Johnson, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, was taken by private vehicle to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:56PM, ABC News reported.
Police have since confirmed that the shooting is believed to be the result of a robbery.
Surveillance footage obtained by NBC10 shows two men walking near the scene. One approaches a car and opens the door, while the other crosses the street toward the vehicle.
A bright flash, believed to be the gunshot, is seen seconds later. Authorities have yet to identify or arrest any suspects, and a $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to a conviction.
LGP Qua rose to prominence with freestyle videos on Instagram, gaining a loyal following for his raw takes on police brutality, youth violence, and the daily struggles in Philadelphia’s streets.
His first viral freestyle dropped in 2017 and racked up over a million views. In 2022, he released his most-watched freestyle to date, a gripping performance that addressed the city’s escalating murder rate.
A social media account maintained by his family confirmed Johnson's identity, while tributes poured in from across the hip-hop community.
“Killing ambitious young bulls like this on Mother’s Day is a Philly type of thing,” rapper Meek Mill said, per Complex. “S*** will make you different. Prayers to your family, and let’s collect some of them guns. S*** sad out here.”
Rapper Gillie tha Kid doubled down on Mill's comments in his own video by calling out Philly residents to "do better," especially when his own son, YG Cheese, was gunned down in a triple shooting back in 2023.
"It's just crazy out here in Philly that, it's coming out that some youngins tried to rob him for his chains and end up killing him, and it's like to the youngins that did it, you can't even sell the chains," said Gillie. "Y'all done killed a man for nothing and just know he was a man that talked peace on the streets."
He added: "Philly we got to do better, we gotta be smarter man. Y'all just took your lives and y'all took this kid's life for nothing. Can't even get rid of the chains. Who the f*** gonna buy the chains? They the hottest necklaces in the fucking city. Gotta do better man."
Hip hop figures Snoop Dogg, Swizz Beatz, and DJ Kid Capri also honored Qua, whose impact stretched beyond music.
The late rapper's performances at community events, like a 2018 South Philly block party hosted by anti-violence leader Anton Moore, showcased his commitment to uplifting local youth.
“It hit hard because we don’t want to send that message to our young people that if you’re doing something positive or you got some things going on, you get killed,” Moore said. “We don’t want to see that. We don’t want this to be normal to our kids in the neighborhood.”
Moore, who runs the organization Unity in the Community, remembered Qua as someone who used his platform to push back against the very violence that ultimately claimed his life.