Behind the Artist Pop Smoke

Bashar Barakah Jackson known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Canarsie, Brooklyn, Pop Smoke began his musical career in 2018. By collaborating with UK drill artists and producers, who often employed more minimal and aggressive instrumentation than its Chicago counterpart, he quickly gained fame after he released his breakout single “Welcome to the Party” in April 2019.

Pop Smoke then signed a recording contract with Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records, and released his debut mixtape Meet the Woo (2019). The mixtape’s second single, “Dior”, produced by 808Melo, reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. His second mixtape, Meet the Woo 2 (2020), debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200. It was released just under two weeks prior to Pop Smoke being fatally shot during a home invasion in Los Angeles. His debut studio album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, was posthumously released in July 2020 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with all 19 tracks from the album charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

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