Bashar Barakah Jackson (July 20, 1999 – February 19, 2020), known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper. Born and raised in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, he rose to fame with the release of his 2019 singles " Welcome to the Party" and "

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

". He frequently collaborated with

UK drill UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. While being sonically distinct from Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous ...

artists and producers, who employed more minimal and aggressive instrumentation than American

drill A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a drill bit for making holes, or a screwdriver bit for securing fasteners. Historically, they were powered by hand, and later mains power, but cordless b ...

artists from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, reintroducing the sound as Brooklyn drill. Following his rise to fame, record producer Rico Beats introduced Pop Smoke to Steven Victor in April 2019. Victor would later have Pop Smoke sign a recording contract with

Victor Victor Worldwide Steven William Victor (born September 6, 1980) is an American record executive, talent manager, music publisher, and Artists and repertoire, A&R representative. He founded the record label Victor Victor Worldwide in 2016. The year prior, he was ...

and

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

. He released his debut

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

Meet the Woo ''Meet the Woo'' (alternatively titled ''Meet the Woo, Vol. 1'') is the debut mixtape by American rapper Pop Smoke. It was released by Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records on July 26, 2019. ''Meet the Woo'' is a drill and grime record. All ...

'' in July 2019. His second mixtape, ''

Meet the Woo 2 ''Meet the Woo 2'' (alternatively titled ''Meet the Woo, Vol. 2'') is the second mixtape by American rapper Pop Smoke. Released by Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records on February 7, 2020, it is the second installment in th ...

'', was released on February 7, 2020, and debuted at number seven on the '' Billboard'' 200, becoming the rapper's first top-10 project in the United States. Twelve days after the mixtape's release, Pop Smoke was

murdered Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excu ...

during a

home invasion A home invasion, also called a hot prowl burglary, is a sub-type of burglary (or in some jurisdictions, a separately defined crime) in which an offender unlawfully enters into a building residence while the occupants are inside. The overarching i ...

in Los Angeles. Fellow New York rapper

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

served as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

for his posthumous debut studio album, '' Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon'' (2020), which debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200; all 19 of its tracks entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album also spawned the singles " For the Night" (featuring

DaBaby Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he signed with Interscope Records in January 2019 in a joint ...

and

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...

) and " What You Know Bout Love". The following year, Republic released Pop Smoke's second studio album, ''

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

'' (2021).

Early life

Bashar Barakah Jackson was born on July 20, 1999, in

, New York City, to a Jamaican mother, Audrey Jackson, and a

Panamanian Panamanians (; feminine ) are people identified with Panama, a country in Central America (which is the central section of the American continent), and with residential, legal, historical, or cultural connections with North America. For most Pan ...

father, Greg Jackson. He had an older brother named Obasi. Jackson attended nine different schools while growing up in

Canarsie, Brooklyn Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin, East 108th Street, and Louisiana Avenue; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on th ...

. He played the African drums in his local church as a child. Jackson was expelled from eighth grade for bringing a gun to school. He spent two years under

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

after being charged with possessing a weapon. Jackson started playing basketball as a point and shooting guard. He relocated to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

to enroll in Rocktop Academy. He was later forced to leave after being diagnosed with a

heart murmur Heart murmurs are unique heart sounds produced when blood flows across a heart valve or blood vessel. This occurs when turbulent blood flow creates a sound loud enough to hear with a stethoscope. The sound differs from normal heart sounds by th ...

, and Jackson eventually turned to street life.

Career

In a

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

interview, he stated that his artist name of Pop Smoke is a combination of Poppa, a name given to him by his Panamanian grandmother, and Smocco Guwop, a nickname from childhood friends. He first attempted rapping during a 2018 visit to a Brooklyn recording studio with Jay Gwuapo. In late 2018, he was rapping over a beat from 808Melo's ''YouTube'' channel, Jackson recorded a track titled "MPR (Panic Part 3 Remix)" during the session. On January 28, 2019, he released "Flexin'". Meanwhile, Jackson befriended producer Rico Beats, who was acquainted with record executive Steven Victor. The three set up an interview, and in April 2019, Jackson signed to

and

. On April 23, 2019, Jackson released his breakout single, " Welcome to the Party", that was produced by 808Melo. Many remixes of the song were later recorded, with the commercially released versions featuring

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

and the other featuring

Skepta Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. (born 19 September 1982), known professionally as Skepta, is a British grime MC, rapper, record producer and DJ. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined Roll Deep before they became founding members of ...

. Jackson released his debut mixtape ''

'' on July 26, 2019. From October to December 2019, Jackson released multiple singles, including "

War War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

" with

Lil Tjay Tione Jayden Merritt (International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) (born April 30, 2001), known professionally as Lil Tjay ( ), is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with his 2017 single "Resume", and signed with Columbi ...

, and "100k on a Coupe" with Calboy. On December 27, 2019, Jackson appeared on

Travis Scott Jacques Bermon Webster III (born April 30, 1991), known professionally as Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Scott has had five number-one hits on the U.S. ''Bil ...

's Cactus Jack Records compilation album '' JackBoys'' on the song "

Gatti Gatti is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alessandra Mirka Gatti, Italian Eurobeat singer *Annibale Gatti, Italian 19th-century fresco painter *Armand Gatti (1924–2017), French playwright *Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canad ...

" which was also accompanied by a music video. "Gatti" debuted and peaked at number 69 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Jackson his first and only Hot 100 appearance before his death. On January 16, 2020, Jackson released " Christopher Walking". On February 7, 2020, twelve days before his death, Jackson released his second mixtape ''

'', with features from

Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), better known by his stage name Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the now-defunct hip hop group Migos. Formed with his nep ...

A Boogie wit da Hoodie Artist Julius Dubose (born December 6, 1995), known professionally as A Boogie wit da Hoodie or simply A Boogie, is an American rapper, and singer-songwriter. He released his debut studio album, '' The Bigger Artist'', via Atlantic Records in ...

Fivio Foreign Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign (), is an American rapper from New York. He first saw mainstream recognition for his 2019 single " Big Drip", which received platinum certification by the Recording ...

and Lil Tjay. The mixtape debuted at number seven on the US ''Billboard'' 200, earning Jackson his first top-10 hit in the United States. Five days after its release, a deluxe edition was released with three new songs, each featuring a guest appearance, consisting of Nav, Gunna, and

PnB Rock Rakim Hasheem Allen (December 9, 1991 – September 12, 2022), known professionally as PnB Rock, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Allen signed with Atlantic Records in 2015 and gained initial recogn ...

. Jackson teased to social media his debut headlining concert tour

Meet the Woo Tour The Meet the Woo Tour was scheduled to be the debut headlining concert tour by Pop Smoke. It was launched in support of his two mixtapes, ''Meet the Woo'' (2019) and ''Meet the Woo 2'' (2020), and had been set to consist of concerts in North Ameri ...

to promote both his mixtapes. The tour was planned to begin in the US in March, and end in the UK in April.

Posthumous releases

", the second single off ''Meet the Woo'', became Jackson's first posthumous solo hit, peaking at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 33 on the UK Singles Chart. At the beginning of March 2020, American rapper

announced on his

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

that he had decided to executive produce and finish Jackson's debut studio album. After his announcement, 50 Cent called artists like

Roddy Ricch Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr. (born October 22, 1998), known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Compton, California, Moore rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his song "Die Young ...

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

, and

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

, wanting to feature them on the record. Pop Smoke had wanted to take his mother to an awards show, prompting 50 Cent to promise to take her to one when the album was complete. On April 16, 2020, a documentary on Pop Smoke's life was announced to be in the works. On May 14, 2020, Victor announced that Pop Smoke's debut studio album would be posthumously released on June 12, 2020. The album was named '' Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon''. It was originally set for release on June 12, 2020, but was pushed back out of respect for the

George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit tw ...

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

. Instead, on the album's original release date, the lead single, " Make It Rain", featuring fellow

rapper

Rowdy Rebel Chad Marshall (born November 24, 1991), known professionally as Rowdy Rebel, is an American rapper. He is a member of the Brooklyn-based GS9 collective, formed by hometown rapper Bobby Shmurda. He is best known for his guest appearance on Pop Sm ...

was released. Rebel's verse was recorded through a

collect call A collect call in Canada and the United States, known as a reverse charge call in other parts of the English-speaking world, is a telephone call in which the calling party wants to place a call at the called party's expense. Collect calls were or ...

since he was incarcerated at the time.

Virgil Abloh Virgil Abloh (; September 30, 1980 – November 28, 2021) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. A trained architect, Abloh founded his own line of luxury streetwear clothing under the moniker Pyrex Vision in 2012, which he transfor ...

created the album's original artwork. The cover artwork provoked significant criticism from fans who called it "lazy" and "rushed" and felt it was disrespectful. It prompted a

Change.org Change.org is a website which allows users to create and sign petitions in an attempt to advance various social causes by raising awareness and influencing decision-makers. The site is a US-based for-profit company and claims to have 551 million ...

petition, attracting tens of thousands of signatures. Ryder Ripps created the final cover art with the chrome rose against a black background. Jackson's mother chose the final album cover hours before the album was released commercially. The album was officially released on July 3, 2020, to commercial success, reaching number one in several countries, including on the ''Billboard'' 200. All 19 songs on the album charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with " For the Night" featuring

and

, debuting and peaking at number six, giving Pop Smoke his first top-10 hit in the US. On July 20, 2020, which would have been Jackson's 21st birthday, a deluxe edition of the album was released, and featured 15 new additional tracks. The album's fifth single " What You Know Bout Love", ended up peaking at number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Pop Smoke his second top-10 hit in the US. On February 26, 2021, " AP" was released as the lead single for the ''

Boogie Boogie is a repetition (music), repetitive, swung note, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . groove (music), "groove" or pattern used in blues which was origina ...

'' soundtrack. Pop Smoke was cast as Monk in a minor role for ''Boogie''. A second posthumous album titled ''

'' was released on July 16, 2021, to mixed reviews. It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, making Pop Smoke the first artist to have their first two posthumous albums debut at the top of the chart. A deluxe version, featuring four additional tracks, was released on July 20, 2021, on what would have been Jackson's 22nd birthday. Six more tracks were added on July 30.

Legal issues

On January 17, 2020, after returning from

Paris Fashion Week Paris Fashion Week (, commonly ) is a series of designer presentations held semi-annually in Paris, France, with spring/summer and autumn/winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Pa ...

, Jackson was arrested by federal authorities at

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

after stealing a Rolls-Royce Wraith, valued at $375,000, whose owner reported it stolen after Jackson had reportedly borrowed it in California for a music video shoot on the condition it would be returned the next day. Investigators believed he arranged for the car to be transported on a flatbed truck to New York. He posted a photo of himself in front of the stolen car on

and Facebook. The car was recovered by authorities at Jackson's mother's house, in the

Canarsie Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin, East 108th Street, and Louisiana Avenue; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on th ...

section of

. After his arrest, police questioned him about a non-fatal shooting that took place in Brooklyn in June 2019. The police thought he had information on the shooting because they claimed to have footage of him driving a car in reverse near the scene of the crime. The police also tried to pressure Jackson into telling them more information about the Crips, GS9, and other Brooklyn street gangs, but he refused to talk. He was charged with grand theft auto, posted a $250,000 bond, and agreed to stay away from known gang members and submit drug tests to the US pretrial services. The conditions Jackson was put under hindered some of his performances like the "BK Drip Concert" at Kings Theatre in Flatbush in February 2020, as gang members were in the audience.

Murder

Jackson rented a house through

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...

owned by Teddi Mellencamp and her husband, Edwin Arroyave, in

Hollywood Hills, California The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollywood o ...

, where he was murdered on 19 February 2020. On 21 February 2025, Corey Walker received a 29-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to one voluntary manslaughter charge and two home invasion charges which were connected to Jackson's murder. The other three individuals being tried for Jackson's murder would all be convicted as well after entering separate guilty plea deals in

juvenile court Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...

Discography

Studio albums * '' Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon'' (2020) * ''

'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

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2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

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Filmography

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References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1999 births 2020 deaths 21st-century American rappers 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers East Coast hip-hop musicians Rappers from Brooklyn African-American male singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American hip-hop singers American rappers of Jamaican descent American rappers of Panamanian descent Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Gangsta rappers Crips Deaths by firearm in California Murdered African-American people People from Canarsie, Brooklyn People murdered in Los Angeles Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Brooklyn drill musicians Drill musicians from New York City 2020 murders in the United States Richmond Hill High School (Queens) alumni