More Than a Year After His Death, Pop Smoke Has the Top Hip-Hop Album of 2021

“It’s a cultural phenomenon,” says Ebro Darden, global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B for Apple Music. Among the album’s noteworthy songs is “Dior,” a previously released track that became a protest anthem during last summer’s nationwide demonstrations over racial injustice. Meanwhile, the album has been a streaming favorite for the past year, keeping Pop Smoke near the top of the music charts month after month.

To capitalize on the momentum, Pop Smoke’s label, Victor Victor Worldwide, will release a second posthumous album, “Faith,” on Friday. That album, which features appearances by Kanye West and pop star Dua Lipa, is timed for what would have been the rap star’s 22nd birthday on July 20.

Posthumous albums from artists such as the late rappers Juice WRLD and Mac Miller have been making waves in pop culture. “Shoot for the Stars” is among the most commercially successful in recent memory, cementing Pop Smoke as one of the most significant hip-hop figures of the past few decades. It also is a big moment for New York rap, which for years had been overshadowed by rival hip-hop scenes, especially in Atlanta.

Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Jackson, was a Brooklyn-based hip-hop newcomer before his life was cut short in February 2020 at age 20. As the leading voice of “Brooklyn drill,” an emerging rap subgenre with dark, moody chords, intimidating lyrics and rumbling bass, Pop Smoke offered an alternative to the pop-leaning sounds of today’s mainstream rap.

The success of “Shoot for the Stars” rests on many factors, including Pop Smoke’s musicality, charisma and perceived authenticity, industry executives say. He rapped in a distinctive style, bellowing in a low, gruff baritone over sinister instrumentals that were also melodic and danceable.

Then there is the album’s packed guest list, which includes of-the-moment rappers (DaBaby, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch ), hip-hop statesmen (50 Cent, Future, Young Thug) and giants from neighboring genres (Burna Boy, Karol G ). 

Some music critics say the album, which was executive-produced by 50 Cent, is too commercial-sounding and overloaded with featured guests. But Pop Smoke had been aiming for mainstream acceptance, those who knew him say.

“Musically, on his early demos that he came in with—he had that pop sensibility,” says Shivam Pandya, vice president of operations for Victor Victor Worldwide. “He always wanted to appeal to a wide audience.” The deluxe version of “Shoot for the Stars,” which has 34 tracks and spans nearly an hour and 45 minutes, helped boost Pop Smoke’s numbers through the sheer number of songs, a tactic common in the music industry.

Growing up in Brooklyn’s Canarsie neighborhood, Pop Smoke started recording in late 2018. He soaked up the sounds of drill artists in Brooklyn, London and Chicago along with veterans like 50 Cent, often considered the last era-defining New York rapper. Friends shared his music; it spread on Facebook, SoundCloud, YouTube and even Triller, an app similar to TikTok.

Steven Victor, the head of Victor Victor Worldwide, signed Pop Smoke in March 2019. (Victor Victor Worldwide distributes Pop Smoke’s music through a deal with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group.) By that summer, Pop Smoke was a local hero with a regional smash, “Welcome to the Party.”

“People in the city knew him and were looking for him to be the next star,” Mr. Pandya says.

His swift rise ended on Feb. 19, 2020, when he was shot and killed in a home invasion in Los Angeles. When his debut album arrived in July, it hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album-sales chart. It is currently No. 12.

For hip-hop fans, Pop Smoke’s growling delivery, uncontrived approach and organic fame represented a return of authenticity and realism, industry executives say. A “harder perspective was kind of missing for a while,” says Tariq Cherif, co-founder of the hip-hop festival Rolling Loud. “Pop Smoke definitely brought that to the game—a real street-hustler perspective.”

Among older fans, Pop Smoke’s death recalled the loss of the Notorious B.I.G. in 1997. “To someone who was older,” says Bobby Fisher, an A&R executive at label Empire who signed Brooklyn drill pioneers Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow, “it felt like: history repeats itself.” In both cases, hip-hop lost a major talent at a relatively early stage of their careers.

“Shoot for the Stars” has generated nearly 5 billion U.S. streams since its release, according to MRC Data. It contains two of the five top rap songs on U.S. radio this year: “What You Know Bout Love” and “For the Night.”

When the second album drops, many fans will be waiting for it. “If he left more music on this earth, the world should hear it,” Rolling Loud’s Mr. Cherif says.

Write to Neil Shah at [email protected]