With ‘Demeanor,' Pop Smoke and Dua Lipa create the ultimate summer hit.
‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon' is the year's best-selling rap record, and a second posthumous album, ‘Faith,' will be released on Friday. Here are some of the reasons why the late artist's legacy lives on.
The year's biggest hip-hop album isn't coming out in 2021; it was already blasting out of car windows a year ago.
According to MRC Data, formerly known as Nielsen Music, with 948,000 sales in the United States this year, late New York rapper Pop Smoke's posthumous first album "Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon" is the most successful hip-hop album of 2021. According to MRC Data, Justin Bieber's "Shoot for the Stars," which was released on July 3, 2020, is the fourth most-consumed album in the world, behind Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, and Morgan Wallen.
Ebro Darden, Apple Music's worldwide editorial head of hip-hop and R&B, describes it as a "cultural phenomenon." “Dior,” a previously released track that became a protest anthem during last summer's nationwide marches against racial inequality, is one of the album's standout tracks. Meanwhile, for the past year, Pop Smoke has been a streaming favorite, maintaining it around the top of the music charts month after month.
Pop Smoke's company, Victor Victor Worldwide, will release a second posthumous album, "Faith," on Friday to capitalize on the enthusiasm. Kanye West and pop singer Dua Lipa make appearances on the album, which is released on what would have been Kanye West's 22nd birthday.
Posthumous albums by late rappers Juice WRLD and Mac Miller have been making waves in the music industry. Pop Smoke's album "Shoot for the Stars" is one of the most financially successful in recent memory, establishing his status as one of the hip-most hop's influential performers. It's also a watershed moment for New York rap, which had been overshadowed by other hip-hop scenes, particularly in Atlanta, for years.
Bashar Jackson, aka Pop Smoke, was a Brooklyn-based hip-hop newcomer whose life was cut short in February 2020 at the age of 20. Pop Smoke provided a contrast to today's mainstream rap's pop-leaning sounds as the leading voice of "Brooklyn drill," a burgeoning rap subgenre with dark, melancholy chords, scary words, and rumbling bass.
According to industry insiders, the popularity of "Shoot for the Stars" is due to a number of elements, including Pop Smoke's musicality, charm, and apparent sincerity. He had a distinct style, rapping in a low, gruff baritone over dark, melodious, and danceable instrumentals.
Then there's the album's stellar lineup of guests, which includes up-and-comers (DaBaby, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch), hip-hop legends (50 Cent, Future, Young Thug), and legends from other genres (Burna Boy, Karol G ).
Some music critics believe the album, which was executive-produced by 50 Cent, is overly commercial-sounding and features too many guest appearances. Those who knew Pop Smoke claim he was looking for mainstream appeal.
“Musically, he had that pop sense on his early demos that he came in with,” says Shivam Pandya, Victor Victor Worldwide's vice president of operations. “He'd always sought to appeal to a broad range of people.” Pop Smoke's ratings were boosted by the sheer quantity of songs on the deluxe version of "Shoot for the Stars," which includes 34 tracks and runs for nearly an hour and 45 minutes, a standard practice in the music industry.
Pop Smoke, who grew up in Brooklyn's Canarsie area, began recording in late 2018. He listened to drill artists in Brooklyn, London, and Chicago, as well as veterans like 50 Cent, who is often regarded as the final era-defining New York rapper. His music was shared by friends.
Pop Smoke was signed by Steven Victor, the CEO of Victor Victor Worldwide, in March 2019. (Pop Smoke's music is distributed by Victor Victor Worldwide through an agreement with Republic Records, a branch of Universal Music Group.) Pop Smoke had become a local star by that summer, thanks to his regional smash, "Welcome to the Party."
Mr. Pandya claims that “people in the city knew him and were hoping for him to be the next big thing.”
On Feb. 19, 2020, he was shot and died in a home invasion in Los Angeles, putting an end to his meteoric rise. His debut album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales list when it was released in July. It is now ranked No. 12 in the world.
Pop Smoke's rumbling tone, unpretentious approach, and organic fame, according to industry insiders, signaled a return to authenticity and reality for hip-hop listeners. According to Tariq Cherif, co-founder of the hip-hop festival Rolling Loud, a “harder perspective was kind of lacking for a while.” “That was definitely something Pop Smoke brought to the game—a real street hustler perspective.”
Pop Smoke's death evoked memories of the Notorious B.I.G.'s death in 1997 among older followers. “It felt like history repeating itself to someone who was older,” says Bobby Fisher, an A&R executive at Empire who signed Brooklyn drill pioneers Sheff G and Sleepy Hallow. Hip-hop lost a major talent on both occasions at an early point in their careers.
According to MRC Data, “Shoot for the Stars” has produced approximately 5 billion US streams since its premiere. “What You Know Bout Love” and “For the Night” are two of the top five rap songs on American radio this year.
Many fans will be anticipating the release of the second album. Mr. Cherif of Rolling Loud adds, "If he left more music on this globe, the world should hear it."
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