Sophia Michaels
Pusha T has pulled his recent Jadakiss collaboration “Hunting Season” from streaming services following the shooting death of rising rapper Pop Smoke.
The track, from Jadakiss’ upcoming LP Ignatius, was released to streaming services on Friday ahead of the album’s release next week. However, soon after its release, “Hunting Season” was withdrawn from services as the song’s subject matter drew similarities to Pop Smoke’s murder earlier in the week.
“When I think of these rappers, I wanna go huntin’,” Jadakiss says on the track, which was inspired in part by Ignatius “IcePick” Jackson, the rapper’s close friend who died in 2017 from cancer.
‘Hunting Season’ was a request that IcePick Jay (RIP) always had and in light of his death me and [Jadakiss] made an incredible song,” Pusha T wrote on Instagram Friday.
“With that being said, the whole concept of hunting season and the hypothetical ideas of ‘killing rappers’ isn’t [sitting] well with me while mourning the recent death of Pop Smoke. Rest in peace Pop and condolences to his family.”
It’s unclear whether the “Hunting Season” removal is temporary or permanent, and if the track will still feature on Ignatius.
Pop Smoke, born Bashar Jackson, was shot and killed Wednesday in Los Angeles when masked gunmen broke into the house where the Brooklyn rapper was staying; Jackson suffered a gunshot wound to the chest during the incident. He was transferred to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 20.
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