Pop Smoke, the elected champion of Brooklyn’s burgeoning drill sound and scene, was shockingly murdered in a Los Angeles home invasion during the early hours of Wednesday, Feb. 19. TMZ reported that the killing appears to be the result of a targeted hit, and the four suspects remain at large. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and all those affected.
At only 20 years old, his ascent to the top ranks of hip-hop happened at light speed. With “Welcome To The Party,” a menacing yet all-inclusive anthem, Pop owned summer 2019. Supported by thick sub bass, grimey synth slides and the repeating sound of a sword being drawn, Pop’s signature stop-and-go flow let listeners know that they were now in his world, his party. Moving around New York especially, you couldn’t pop out to any DJ set or party worth being at without hearing Pop’s deep, resounding voice.
Musically, “Welcome To The Party” provided the template for his still adolescent discography. It didn’t feel like that template was going to get old anytime soon either. “Dior” was another hit that emerged from his debut mixtape, Meet The Woo. “When it rains, it pours / she like the way I rrr,” Pop proclaims with a DMX-like growl. Swaying back and forth with one hand on your belt and one in the sky – a welcoming move for people like myself with limited dancing skills – became instinctive as Pop trampolined off each explosive drop.
With Meet The Woo, listeners also got a brief peek behind the curtain at Pop’s story – the fear and uncertainty he faced growing up in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn. “My PTSD startin’ to kick in so I gotta get high,” Pop raps in a cadence reminiscent of 50 Cent. In a recent piece remembering Pop Smoke, The New York Times’ Jon Caramanica best described the vulnerability of “PTSD” and its contrast with the rest of Meet The Woo: “On other songs, he sounded ready for war; on this one, he sounded like he’d just come home from one.”
As his fame grew, Pop had to overcome unforeseen obstacles that must’ve made him feel like he was still in a war of sorts. When Rolling Loud, the popular hip-hop festival, made its New York debut this past fall at Citi Field, the NYPD abruptly requested that five scheduled acts be removed from the lineup, citing “a higher risk of violence.” Pop was named alongside local leaders Casanova, Sheff G, Don Q and 22Gz. None of them ended up performing. Also, at the time of his death, he was out on bond after being arrested and charged with stealing a Rolls-Royce and transporting it from California to New York.
It seemed like Pop never let these issues faze him, though. He was too busy enjoying his new life, executing his next big move. He overshadowed Travis Scott on the ghostly track “GATTI,” which appeared on Scott’s JACKBOYS mixtape. He collaborated with Quavo, Gunna and fellow New Yorkers A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Lil Tjay and Fivio Foreign on his latest project, Meet The Woo 2, released just a few weeks ago. He made waves with the streetwear brand Off-White, sitting front row at their Paris Fashion Week show and, later, reportedly tapping the Off-White International Rap Video Production Studio to produce the visual for “Shake The Room.” He was cast as an edgy basketball player for Eddie Huang’s film “Boogie.” Needless to say, Pop had a lot going for him.
The opportunity to further his career, as well as separate himself from any lingering issues in New York, was a major reason he was spending more time in Los Angeles.
Yet, accolades and clout weren’t the fuel behind Pop’s fire. Nah. In an interview with The Face, Pop explained the purpose behind his music, which was just as strong as the music itself. “I make music for that kid in the hood that’s gotta share a bedroom with like four kids – the young kids growing up in poverty. I make music for that kid who got beef, thinking about how, when they go to school, these people might try kill me but I still gotta get my diploma for my mom. I make music for kids like that who know they just gotta keep going, that there’s a better way. That’s who I really make it for.”
One of the most heartbreaking parts about Pop’s untimely passing is that we never really got the chance to see this pointed connection come full circle with a homecoming show. Just a few days before his death, though, BK Drip was poised to be that moment. Hosted at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, it was viewed as the inaugural celebration of Brooklyn drill rap, headlined by Pop Smoke, Fivio Foreign and Sheff G. But Pop had to cancel at the last minute, allegedly due to safety concerns. While his absence left a gloomy mark on the evening, no one could have predicted the extent of that gloom.
Read About It By Gerard Smith 