Rap music has embedded itself within popular culture, becoming an outlet for many amateurs and professionals for their emotional outpourings and musical fascinations. It is undeniable that rap and drill are forms of music which have roots within African and African-American culture, but with this connection comes blanket assumptions and failed interpretations of rap music being nothing other than sexist, violent, and racist, as Tricia Rose, a sociologist who has focused on hip-hop in many of her written works has examined in her book “Black Noise” (Rose). Rap will always mean something — rappers tell important and inspiring stories in a matter of minutes with an elaborate combination of slang and unique sounds, combining content, flow, and delivery (Rose, 38). As we’ve come to understand it, rap music creates legends.
Brooklynn rap and drill music will forever pay homage to legendary rapper Bashar Barakah Jackson. With major hits that took over the internet such as “Dior” and “Mood Swings,” Pop Smoke truly left his mark on the music industry before his tragic passing at the age of 20 on February 19, 2020.
Somewhat of an enigma, the New York rapper was always meant to be something big — though he hadn’t recorded any music before the year 2018. Before his career picked up, his life involved a lot of moving around, constituting a somewhat unstable adolescence conflicted with brushes with the police and violence. But nonetheless, his come up was remarkable—one that aims to inspire us to Shoot for the Stars and Aim for the Moon. His career continued to pick up as he began featuring on different tracks with known rap entities that held influence such as Travis Scott and the hip-hop trio Migos, accelerating his renown.
Rapper Skepta described Pop Smoke’s work as “a mix of grime and drill and the bounce of dancehall,” relating it to the London drill scene. Pop Smoke’s work is a refreshing change from major mumble rap artists that started to overtake the rap scene.
Of course, his rise didn’t come without faults. The NYPD kept tabs on him while he grew a following, and he was dropped (along with other artists such as Casanova and Sheff G) from New York’s inaugural Rolling Loud festival lineup due to the police departments concerns surrounding a risk of violence.
Regardless of the bumps along the way, there’s more to his career than just music — Pop Smoke will make his on-screen debut in the upcoming film “Boogie” later this year. The multi-talented star truly never strays far from the light and will rightfully remain a key figure in pop culture.
His short career was marked by tracks that took the world by storm including “Welcome to the Party,” “Dior,” and “Mood Swings” — all of us f**k with the Woo, the heat he spits, and his elusive voice. His albums “Meet the Woo,” “Meet the Woo 2,” and “Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon,” (which was a posthumous number one on the charts) have some remarkable beats and Pop Smoke’s unique voice booms throughout them all, encouraging a long lasting impact on New York’s rap scene.
A fatal home invasion in a Hollywood Hills residence where he was staying at the time led to the rappers demise; when LAPD arrived, Pop Smoke was found with gunshot wounds, being the only person staying at the home who was shot; four suspects had fled the scene. After being taken to a local hospital, Pop Smoke was pronounced dead just a few short hours later. As of July 9, 2020, five arrests have been made in connection to the rapper’s murder (four have been charged with murder, one with attempted murder.
It was clear from his lyrics he knew he was destined for greatness; an obvious legend in the making overtaking the rap scene with memorable collaborations and songs that will remain an integral part of pop culture for the time being. The music industry is constantly undergoing changes, but one thing is certain: the industry lost one of the greatest rappers of our time around this time last year, and he will be forever missed.
Pop Smoke will be remembered not only through his music and his come up, but through his legacy. Label executive of Victor Victor, Steven Victor, remarks that Jackson was “super-wise beyond his years,” carrying traits of passion, determination, and internalization to name a few. The rapper was more than just that… Pop Smoke left his mark on the hearts of many, and remains in the population’s headphones — his music will continue to make people feel good and will probably remain on TikTok too.
The family of the late rapper announced a non-profit which Pop Smoke had founded before his passing, called “Shoot for the Stars” which aims to help inner-city youth “turn their pain into champagne” — or, in essence, make their dreams a reality, as Pop Smoke once did.
References:
Rose, Tricia (1994). Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press.
All images courtesy of Google Images.
