LGP Qua, a Philadelphia rapper known for his socially conscious lyrics, was shot and killed in the city’s Juniata Park neighborhood on Mother’s Day.
The shooting occurred on Sunday, May 11, shortly before 4:40 p.m. near the intersection of M Street and East Luzerne Street. Police responded to reports of gunfire and were told that the victim had already been taken to Temple University Hospital by private vehicle. The man, later identified as 30-year-old Qidere Johnson, was pronounced dead at 4:56 p.m.
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WATCH HERENBC10 later obtained surveillance video that police say they're using as part of their investigation. The video shows two men walking at M and East Luzerne streets with one man going to the right and the other to the left. A few seconds later, the man on the left approaches a car and opens the door as the man on the right crosses the street towards the car. The video then shows a bright flash coming from the man on the right.
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A social media account created by family members confirmed Johnson was LGP Qua, an independent hip-hop artist known for his socially conscious lyrics that covered Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis and other issues impacting the city. He also gained popularity due to viral videos of his freestyle rapping.
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"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. We don’t want to see that. We don’t want this to be normal to our kids in the neighborhood," Qua's friend Anton Moore said.
Moore leads Unity in the Community, an anti-violence organization, training at-risk kids on job and life skills. He tells NBC10 he’s known Qua since he performed in 2018 at Moore’s South Philly summer block party on 20th Street. Photos show the rapper, known for being the voice of the youth, there that day, hanging with friends and state lawmakers.
Philadelphia hip hop star Meek Mill, popular hip hop producer Swizz Beatz and influential hip hop DJ Kid Capri all paid tribute to Johnson on social media.
A spokesperson with the Philadelphia Police Department confirmed with NBC10 on Tuesday that investigators believe that a robbery is what led to the shooting.
No arrests have been made and police have not released any details on a suspect. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
If you have any information on Johnson’s murder, call Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
Johnson's murder was part of a violent weekend in Philadelphia that included a 12-year-old boy who was shot and killed while filming a music video on East Pastorius Street and a deadly shooting on North Chadwick Street.
Despite the recent violence, as of May 11, there were 74 reported homicides in Philadelphia in 2025, down 21.28% from the same time last year which ultimately had the lowest number of homicides in a decade, according to police data.
