Rakim Hasheem Allen, better known by his stage namePnB Rock, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his 2015 single "Fleek" and 2016 single "Selfish", which has peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100. He is also known for his double studio album, Trapstar Turnt Popstar, which was released in 2019. In 2017, Allen was chosen as part of the XXL Freshman Class.
Early life
Rakim Allen was born on December 9, 1991, in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with parents and was primarily raised by his mother due to his father being murdered when he was 3 years old. In his teen years, he lived in Northeast Philadelphia. He grew up listening to rapper 2Pac and R&B group Jodeci. At the age of 13, Allen was sent to a youth detention program for committing robberies and fighting in school. When he turned 19, he was sentenced to 33 months in prison for drug possession and other crimes. Allen was homeless for a short period after being released from prison. He never finished high school. Allen later adopted the stage name PnB Rock, which is an acronym for Pastorius and Baynton, a street corner near where he grew up in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood.
Career
On June 24, 2014, PnB Rock released his debut mixtape, Real N*gga Bangaz. He wrote the mixtape while he was incarcerated. In 2015, PnB Rock signed a record deal with Atlantic Records, and under the label, he released his first project with Atlantic titled RnB3 which is his third mixtape. In June 2016, he released the hit single, "Selfish". The song peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In October 2016, Rolling Stone included him in their list of "10 New Artists You Need to Know". On January 10, 2017, he released his second retail mixtape album, through Atlantic Records and Empire Distribution. The album debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Subsequently, in April 2017, he participated in the of The Fate of the Furious with 2 singles including "Gang Up" with Young Thug, 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa and "Horses" with Kodak Black and A Boogie wit da Hoodie. In June 2017, PnB Rock was named as one of the ten of XXL's "2017 Freshman Class" along with A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Playboi Carti, Ugly God, Kyle, Aminé, MadeinTYO, Kamaiyah, Kap G, and XXXTentacion. PnB Rock has also admitted that his single, "Nowadays", was co-written by Bronx rapper, Carlos, who has featured PnB on his summer hit, "Let's Get Personal". His debut album TrapStar Turnt PopStar was released in May 2019. PnB Rock is featured on Ed Sheeran's "Cross Me", which is a part of Sheeran's album No.6 Collaborations Project, along with Chance the Rapper.
Personal life
PnB Rock has two children, daughters Milan and Xuri Li, the latter of whom he conceived with his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang, an Instagram model. The couple were arrested in January 2019 for drug and gun possession.
