Who is Pop Smoke

New kid on the block gone too soon, Pop Smoke, was born (and raised) in New York on July 20, 1999 as Bashar Barakah Jackson. He was a troubled child, having been expelled from school for bringing a firearm to campus during 8th grade.

He had to spend two years in house arrest upon being charged with possession of weapons. His luck wasn’t any good either, as he had to let a good basketball scholarship go to waste after being diagnosed with a heart murmur at age 15. He first made remixes in 2018 before he started producing original content.

He later debuted with “MPR”, followed by the release of “Flexing”, which went viral on YouTube within the course of 24 hours. Just a few months after these singles, he signed with Victor Victor Worldwide where he would release the lead single, “Welcome to the Party”, from his debut mixtape.

The single charted on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at #48 and was certified gold by the RIAA. His second mixtape, “Meet the Woo 2” was released in February 2020 and was better perceived by listeners, gaining gold status. Unfortunately, before his first ever studio album could be released, he was shot dead by robbers in his home.

The posthumous album, “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon”, was released in July this year. Hopefully, he’s watching from behind the clouds to see that his album has made it to #1 in up to 8 charts worldwide!