A year ago, on February 19, 2020, American rapper Pop Smoke left the world after he was gunned down in his rented home.
We have decided to take a look at Pop Smoke and his posthumous music career success.
Born as Bashar Jackson but popularly known as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper and songwriter.
He was raised in Brooklyn and began his music career in 2018 while visiting a studio with his rapper friend Gwuapo.
Later on, he recorded and released his track “Mpr Panic Part 3 Remix)”.
While in 2019, he released his breakout single, “Welcome to The Party“, which was produced by British drill producer 808Melo.
Moreover, two remixes of the song were recorded, one which featured Nicki Minaj, the other Skepta.
Furthermore, a year after on February 7, 2020, Pop Smoke released his second mixtape “Meet the woo 2“.
The mixtape featured American singers Quavo, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Fivio Foreign, and Lil Tjay.
The mixtape debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 and earned Pop Smoke his first top 10 hits in the US.
Less than two weeks after his mixtape release, he was fatally shot in his home and pronounced dead in the hospital.
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Now that a year has passed and four suspects have been arrested, you cannot deny the empty crater in drill music without Pop Smoke.
Pushing the NY scene to the forefront of pop music, with the help of the UK and drill community, Pop Smoke left an irreversible mark on the genre before his death.
Of course, Pop smoke wasn’t the first drill nor the first NY drill rapper, the likes of Sheff G is enough evidence.
However, he became the frontrunner of the scene and generated a huge demand for himself.
His Posthumous Music Career Success:
During the Black Lives Movement protest last year, his hit single “Dior” became the fuel of the movement.
Videos circulated on social media of the protesters dancing to the song and marching.
However, he wasn’t present to witness these memorable scenes and moments.
On “Dior”, he pledged to “raise hell” until a friend is released from prison, a message that particularly resonated with those demanding justice in the wake of Floyd’s death.
Also in his death, Pop Smoke‘s voice has grown even louder and his fame has gone far too wide.
In the US, his singles continue to claim top spots on music charts and dominate the airwaves.
Also, his posthumous single “What You Know Bout Love” reached the top spot on the US rhythmic radio chart last month.
While his song “For The Night” featuring DaBaby and Lil Baby is now a staple among the top five played songs on urban radio stations.
These two songs combined streams on Spotify are close to 1 billion!
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On the other hand, his posthumous album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon has broken limits.
The album was produced by Executive Producer 50 Cent.
Upon its release after his death, the album has debuted on Billboard 200 twice.
It debuted at number one last July and is currently at number three, clocking up an impressive 31 weeks on the chart.
The music on Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon only heightens the heartbreak.
it only proves Pop Smoke could have done more if he were alive.
However, it isn’t a new deal for a late rapper or singer to gather posthumous fame, but he is noteworthy.
Awards/Nominations
Currently, his “Dior” hit single has been nominated for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony.
It’s been nominated for the category of the Best Rap performance.
Also, his song Himself got three nominations last year.
Of which, it won the category of the Best New Hip-hop Artist in the BET Hip-hop Awards.
Pop Smoke still lives on in the mind of many, and his legacy still lives on!