Pop Smoke 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon' Lives Up To The Late Star's Legacy

With a variety of tracks and feels to showcase immense talent, ‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon’ provides a glimpse to the multiple sides of Pop Smoke: his fact spitting hard-hitting gangsta bars, the pure death trap drill disco vibe, the R&B leaning melodic driven romantic slow feel, and his renowned upbeat high energy anthems.

Smoke’s first posthumous release, his debut studio album 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon' has finally arrived (July 3rd, 2020) after being delayed a month in respect to the Black Lives Matter movement. The album was executively produced by 50 Cent, the legendary east coast rapper who served as a mentor for Smoke during his rise to stardom, and features 21 producers, most notably UK producer 808Melo.

The hour-long, 19 track album featured 12 different artists including All-Star talent such as Future, Roddy Rich, Lil Baby, DaBaby, Tyga, and 50 Cent. It also includes incredible verses from Swae Lee, King Combs, Lil Tjay, KAROL G, and Rowdy Rebel. However, most exceptionally, many have claimed Quavo’s feature marks the return of the legendary Migos star.

After the release of the initial artwork of 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,’ it became evident that Pop Smoke has built a fanbase who is ready to rip established designers apart and drag their careers for failing to represent his legacy properly.

OFFICIAL ALBUM COVER ARTWORK

INITIAL ALBUM COVER ARTWORK

The havoc caused due to Smoke’s fans dissatisfaction with the album artwork has led to swift change of the cover by designer Virgil Abloh, who faced incredible backlash over his first design. The outrage proved that the love for Smoke isn’t one to die anytime soon and his legacy will be protected.

Born Bashar Barakah Jackson, the Brooklyn star created a new lane and sub genre in rap during his short 20 years. He was murdered in February 2020 during what was staged to look like a robbery on his real estate in Los Angeles, merely a month before the hit of the pandemic in the United States. The current investigation is still ongoing however it has not led to any arrests and the killers of the legend remain at large.

It is now evident that the rappers ‘Meet The Woo’ mixtapes series was a merely an introduction to his talent. It solidified his unique and distinguishable sound which became a catalyst to death drill music across the nation. However, this album 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon’ proves his ability break into and combine multiple other sounds and genres.

Luckily, the release of the album was not marketed to benefit from the tragedy that had hit his family; however, it serves as an ode to a rapper who was taken away tragically too soon and is produced with respect to his wishes, legacy, and desires. It is evident that a lot of thought, care and compassion was present in producing this album.

The album was nearly finished before his demise giving fans an album which remains authentic to the artist. The final touches were done by Steven Victor, his friend, manager and label owner.

Listen to ‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon’ here.