Joe: It’s impossible to walk through New York City without hearing Pop Smoke’s music
throughout the streets.
In February, the 20 year old rapper was shot and killed during a Los Angeles home invasion
that saw five men get arrested in connection to the murder.
At the time, Pop Smoke was at the forefront of the burgeoning Brooklyn drill scene.
Now, with the release of his posthumous number one debut album ‘Shoot for the Stars Aim
for the Moon,’ we get a chance to hear Pop further cement his legacy.
Steven Victor: I think that's why it was so easy to work with him, because it was always one of
those things where he was striving for perfection.
Through the album if you listen to a lot of the content, he's saying that throughout
the whole album.
He's like, "Shoot for the stars, aim for the moon."
Joe: That’s Steven Victor, music executive and head of Victor Victor, the label under
which he signed Pop Smoke.
Victor played a pivotal role in overseeing Pop Smoke’s accession to stardom from the
jump.
He sat down with Genius News to break down Pop’s album and his lasting legacy on hip-hop.
Steven Victor: I was like, "Yo, we should just focus and hone in on this sound.
And this should be your sound for now, and then from there you'll have a staple sound
and you can expand on it.
But for you to be a staple and be a career artist and be a superstar and be a global
artist, you have to have a specific sound that you do the best, that everybody has to
come to you to get.”
Joe: With Pop Smoke's grizzled voice behind frequent collaborator 808 Melo’s sinister production,
the two couldn't be stopped.
Steven Victor: If you listen to the records, his voice is the main instrument.
Even in the drill shit. It wasn't typical.
He's finding melodic pockets in drill beats.
I didn't know that it was the same producer that was making all the beats.
I didn't know that Melo had did all of the records that I liked.
Listen, him and 808 were the force.
Joe: The chemistry between Melo and Pop was apparent throughout the album, as you felt
Pop’s ominous tone immediately, on the Melo produced intro track “Bad Bitch From Tokyo.”
Joe: Then there’s the lead single “Make It Rain,” where Pop links up with an early
star of the borough’s drill scene Rowdy Rebel, for a track that's sure to make waves
in neighborhoods worldwide.
Steven Victor: When I first signed him and we were working on the mixtape, his thing
was always, "I want to be a global superstar."
So he always had different records. He had afro records. Like I said when I signed him he had R&B records. He had a bunch of different records.
So for his album, he always wanted his album to have that sound, where that could travel
globally.
Joe: On “Something Special,” Smoke flips Tamia's 1998 classic "So Into You," where
he's crooning out for love.
Joe: With Pop wanting to prove his versatility as an artist and aim for global stardom, it's
no surprise the album has a touch of Latin flair.
On “Enjoy Yourself” Pop takes flight on a smooth ride collaborating with reggaeton
star Karol G, giving a nod to his Afro Latino roots.
Pop Smoke: I’m Panamanian, so my Grandma called me Papa since a kid.
But my name on the streets when I was a kid was Smoko Guwop.
So the homeboys didnt wanna call me Papa, so they called me Pop.
And they mixed the Pop with the Smoke and it just came as one.
Joe: Alongside Karol G, the album has a slew of features from some of the biggest stars
in the game, like Future, Lil Baby, and Roddy Ricch.
Putting posthumous albums together is especially difficult when it comes to features, something
Genius covered in early 2019.
But when it came to ‘Shoot for the Stars,’ Victor had no issues finding artists to join
the album.
Steven Victor: For the feature list, he already had the songs.
He already knew who he wanted on it, so it wasn't difficult for me, because he already
said, "Yo, we're going to put this person on this song."
We were always in the studio, we would have conversations when we were working on
the album, so it was really just about getting people on the album.
Getting people on those songs that he wanted them on.
Joe: For Pop, a feature didn’t feel right unless it was organic.
He collaborated with artists that he genuinely vibed with.
That’s why we see “Shake The Room” collaborator Quavo on the album multiple times.
Steven Victor: Him and Quavo just had an incredible chemistry and they made great songs together.
So who am I to take Quavo off, because he's on more.
Joe: With Pop’s hulking voice and street stature, he always drew comparisons to his
New York counterpart 50 Cent.
The two had a special relationship, as 50 not only served as a mentor to Pop, but also
co-executive produced the album.
On the 50 Cent and Roddy Ricch assisted cut “The Woo,'' 50's influence runs clear through
Pop as he references 50’s 2005 hit “Candy Shop” during his verse.
Joe: As well as on “Got It On Me,” where Smoke interpolates 50’s 2003 single "Many
Men (Wish Death)."
Steven Victor: I knew how much he admired 50.
So the fact that I was able to introduce him to 50, make that connection for them to have
their own relationship, and the fact that 50 took on to him so well.
He really, genuinely liked him and cared for him.
To me, like I said, it's a great feeling.
Joe: As far as Pop’s legacy goes, Victor knows that his impact will be felt forever.
Steven Victor: His legacy will be that he came in the game, he changed it, he did it
his way.
A kid from Canarsie that made it through all of the odds and he showed kids that you could
do whatever you want to do, you just got to put your mind to it, because he didn't compromise. He did it exactly how he wanted to do it.
He left a mark on the world. You feel me.
Interviewer: What do you want your impact to be on the music industry?
Like, a hundred years from now, how do you want people to remember you?
Pop Smoke did this, he did that, he did what?
Pop Smoke: Pop Smoke came in and changed the game.
Pop Smoke came in and showed them niggas a new vibe… the whole sound, the whole vibe,
the whole movement.
Different!
Joe: I’m Joe Ali for Genius News, bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the
music.
Long live Pop Smoke.