Philadelphia rapper, LGP QUA, killed in shooting in city's Juniata Park section

PHiLADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia rapper who adopted the moniker of the "Voice of the Youth" was shot and killed Sunday afternoon in Northeast Philadelphia.

A representative for Qidere Johnson, known as LGP QUA, confirmed to Action News that he was murdered in the shooting.

Investigators say it was right around 4:45 p.m. Sunday when the 30-year-old rapper and a friend were approached by three men in Juniata Park.

Authorities describe the scene as a robbery gone wrong with one of the offenders shooting LGP QUA in the chest.

He died a short time later at the hospital.

LGP QUA spoke about gun violence and promoted positivity in Philadelphia.

Meek Mill, one of Philadelphia's most famous rappers, took to Instagram to show respect for Johnson in the wake of his death.

"Killing ambitious young bulls like this on Mother's Day is a Philly type of thing," Meek Mill said in an Instagram story post Sunday. "S--- will make you different. Prayers to your family, and let's collect some of them guns. S--- sad out here."

Popular multimedia host "MinaSayWhat" Llona says she interviewed the 30-year-old rapper several times over the years and is stunned by the news of what happened.

"We don't even have any words anymore. You know, this is not the first young artist that we've lost recently from Philly. It's becoming just a story that no one wants to hear, but that everyone is used to hearing," Llona said.

Llona said the most heartbreaking part is that the up-and-coming rapper was actively trying to alter the image of hip-hop, moving it into a more positive light.

After spending some time in prison, he started rapping about setting an example and becoming a contributor to society -- a stark contrast to the negative messaging from so many other hip-hop artists.

"A young guy not saying those things, being positive. You know, giving people inspiration and even he is susceptible to some of the things that our youth are dealing with right now, and it's just sad," Llona said.

Johnson gained widespread attention for the freestyles he posted on Instagram. His first viral freestyle emerged in 2017, when he rapped about the various issues affecting Philadelphia at that time, including police brutality and violence among teenagers. The video currently has 1 million views on Instagram.

His most successful freestyle video was released in 2022, receiving 1.6 million views, featuring him rapping about the alarming number of murders occurring in Philadelphia at the time.

Homicides, mostly shootings, have decreased in recent years in Philadelphia. There have been 74 homicides in Philadelphia so far this year, a decrease of 21.28% compared to the same time last year, according to police data.

Police have not made any arrests in the fatal shooting.

ABC News contributed to this report.