Pop Smoke Remembered One Year Later After His Death – 50 Cent, Fat Joe & More Speak! Wednesday February 19, 2020 was a dark day for Hip Hop Industry as the world lost a super talented star. Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Barakah Jackson, was setting himself up to become the next big star in Hip Hop, and his success after passing on points to the fact that he was well on track to taking over the world.
Recognized as one of the most popular stars in Brooklyn’s drill scene, Pop Smoke helped elevate Brooklyn drill music to new heights besides reigniting New York City’s rap scene. On the day that he met his death, the Brooklyn rapper, only 20 years old, had taken a trip to LA when he was gunned down by four men at his rental home. Up until now, no one has been brought on trial following Pop’s death. Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary date of the rapper’s tragic demise in the hands of ill-fated criminals.
While he lived, Pop Smoke earned tons of respect in his homeland. With songs such as “Dior,” and “Welcome to the Party” the rapper took drill to a high new level, higher than ever before. Now, the subgenre’s top faces like Drake, Nicki Minaj and Travis Scott, have followed suit, further evidencing that impact.
Given the success of his posthumous album Shoot “For The Stars, Aim For The Moon,” which was one of 2020’s top-selling albums, and “Meet The Woo, Vol. 2,” released only a week prior to Pop’s death, clearly the budding rapper had just started to enjoy a taste of success. His hits; “Dior”, “Welcome to the Party”, “Foreigner”, and others had him bubbling before the tragic events of Feb 19, when he met his unfortunate death.
Following his remarkable record, his rise to fame and music to back the hype, Pop earned a huge cosign from 50 Cent, who helped him in executive producing his debut album, Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon, which was released posthumously last summer. “It was like watching magic,” 50 Cent said of witnessing his meteoric rise.
In an interview with XXL Mag 50 Cent had this to say; “I was surprised by how smart he was. He really listened and was attentive to the details. Watching him sprout was like watching magic—you can’t control how fast things work. I think for his era, people are really impacted by his material and appreciate his music the most.”
Fat Joe had the following to say, during an XXL interview; “What I do know is that he was about to be a superstar on another level. His album shows incredible growth and he was the leader of new school in New York.”
We can only imagine where Pop Smoke would be today if he were still alive. He would definitely be one of the biggest artists in the world right now or at least on his way there.
Be sure to listen to some Pop Smoke music in honor of the late superstar.
Check out some of the fans’ messages on Twitter in remembrance of Pop Smoke below;
In Case you missed it, Pop Smoke Has More Music On The Way Label Head Says.
