Lil Poppa

Janarious Mykel Wheeler (March 18, 2000 – February 18, 2026), better known by his stage name Lil Poppa, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with his 2018 single "Purple Hearts" as well as "Eternal Living" (2019) and "Love & War" (2021) — "Eternal Living" has received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Lil Poppa signed with Interscope Records in 2019. His debut album, Blessed, I Guess (2021), entered the Billboard 200 and received positive critical reception. He then signed with Yo Gotti's Collective Music Group (CMG) record label in 2022 to release several more projects. He performed on "Big League", the theme song of the 2022 NBA Finals, with fellow CMG signees. According to SiriusXM, Lil Poppa's music "balanc[ed] tales of violence and retribution with loyalty to his loved ones, regret for his missteps, and the desperation to create a better life for himself." It was later described in HotNewHipHop as an "undeniably riveting sound that relie[d] on the brute honesty that he mask[ed] through his melodic delivery." In 2025, the same publication described Lil Poppa as "one of rap’s most introspective storytellers."