Smoke Dawg, Rapper and Drake Opening Act, Killed in Shooting at 21

Canadian rapper Smoke Dawg was shot and killed outside a Toronto club on Saturday night, according to Global News. He was 21.

Close friend Mustafa the Poet posted his condolences late Saturday: “may our prayers follow him to heaven.”

Smoke Dawg’s death comes just two weeks after the shooting death of 20-year-old American rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot down outside Miami on June 18. Rapper Chief Keef was also nearly shot outside the W Hotel in Times Square earlier in June, though the bullets missed him and hit paneling in front of the hotel.

On his Instagram account, Drake posted a tribute to Smoke Dawg that include a picture of the two performing together in London, Ontario.

“All these gifts and blessed souls and inner lights being extinguished lately is devastating,” the tribute read. “I wish peace would wash over our city. So much talent and so many stories we never get to see play out. Rest up Smoke.”

According to CP24 News, Dawg was shot at 8 p.m. on Saturday outside the Cube Nightclub in Toronto’s entertainment district. Two other bystanders were shot and rushed with Dawg to a local hospital. Dawg later died of his injuries. Friends of Smoke Dawg identified him toGlobal News as the deceased victim.

The shooting took place during Canada Day weekend, with thousands of people out in the streets to celebrate the national holiday.

“The scene just turned chaotic. There were people running everywhere, there were vehicles just trying to get out of the way,” recounted one witness. “Down on Peter Street we just saw a mass of tourists – normal Saturday traffic on Queen Street – basically running scared for their lives. It was intense, it was very chaotic.”

Toronto mayor John Tory told reporters on Sunday he was “damn mad” about the recent increase in shootings in his city, though he blamed the gun violence on leniency in the city’s criminal justice system.

“This city has always been safe and the objective is to keep it safe. These are people, some of these people who are out on bail and have been doing this repeatedly, involved with gangs who are the only ones that pose a threat to the safety of this city and that’s why I think they should be kept behind bars,” Tory said.

Smoke Dawg released what would be his last music video just five days prior to his death, titled “Fountain Freestyle.” The song opens with a call out to the Halal Gang, the hip-hop group the rapper was a part of with fellow Toronto residents Safe, Puffy L’z and Mo-G.

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