Pop Smoke's Performance On 'Shoot for the Stars...' is A Reminder Of How Talented He Truly Was

If there are any two things that this new posthumous full-length debut from N.Y. rapper Pop Smoke has shown, it’s that his death has completely shook the Hip-Hop world and that there are very good reasons as to why. One of the most promising up and comers in the rap game, Pop Smoke was making massive waves with his Meet the Woo mixtape series leaving his fans claiming that he would become the next 50 Cent. While I didn’t get around to checking out the young artist until only about a week or so before his passing, I have to say I’ve definitely come around and recognized exactly why it is everybody was so hyped on the guy’s sound. If there’s anything you can’t deny when you listen to the guy’s music, it’s that he has a distinct and unique vocal presence coupled with one of the most enticing songwriting formulas in the Drill Rap genre. His voice is one with infinite star potential that no doubt would have become one of the most deservingly recognizable voices in the Hip-Hop landscape. I don’t want to sound like I’m discrediting what he gave the music world while he was alive either, as I’m sure time will tell that his voice very well could be one of the most recognizable out there. There’s no denying that he was just starting to break out of the underground when he died, but as time has passed his discography has definitely picked up traction. He may have never fully capitalized on his potential, which I’ll get to later, but what we've gotten from Pop Smoke while he was alive is definitely proof enough that he had a one way ticket to the top.

Before I break down why it is that I’m not super crazy about every song on this album, I want to make it abundantly clear that those reasons have absolutely nothing to do with Pop Smoke himself. I am completely blown away by his individual performance on this record. I mean seriously, this album is undeniable proof that the man had what it took to become one of the moist versatile performers in the music industry. His attention to detail with his vocals is something that shouldn’t go under-appreciated here. While most posthumous releases from deceased rappers often end up feeling unfinished, that’s the last word I would use to describe Pop Smoke’s performance here. Every single vocal he delivers is crisp, clear and perfect. I have no doubts that if he was still alive he would be down with every single vocal arrangement chosen on this thing. Seriously, the way he switches up his flow between his traditional Drill tracks, melodic singing tracks and even some really accessible Pop Rap moments proves that he was the furthest thing from one-dimensional. I think the entire Hip-Hop community has voiced in agreement that this record is so incredibly versatile, with not a single song sounding exactly the same. The reason that is has very little to do with the songwriting and arrangement choices and everything to do with how dynamic of an MC the real king of N.Y. really is.

While I’m head over heels for how multifaceted Pop Smoke’s performance is here, it’s not uncommon that his vocals are the only reason there is to come back to the songs on here. I’d say I thoroughly enjoyed about half the tracks on here, but when it comes to the other half they were definitely missing some necessary ingredients. The run of songs from 44 Bulldog to Yea Yea is a good example of decent performances from Pop Smoke that fall flat due to instrumentals that pretty much just sound like type beats. Even on lots of the best tracks here, the instrumentals remain so incredibly tedious, repetitive and generic. I really wouldn’t be surprised if 50 hired some actual YouTube type beat producers to deliver half the instrumentals on this thing. I have searched type beats into YouTube myself and found more interesting and tight instrumentals than a handful of the ones on this record. They all sound clear and well mixed at least, as there isn’t a moment on this album that doesn’t sound professional at the very least. However, I think the variety and versatility Pop Smoke himself brought to the table here isn’t matched in the slightest by the production choices. It’s true that all the songs on here don’t sound the same, but that’s because most of the instrumentals are deliberately attempting to match other basic tropes and stereotypes in the mainstream Hip-Hop zeitgeist. West Coast Sh*t has a cowbell that is literally ripped from any Drum Pad/GarageBand app you can find on the app store. Enjoy Yourself and Yea Yea have pleasant, yet token guitar loops that are so predictable and repetitive that they’ll get stuck in your head for all the wrong reasons. So many of these songs, from a foundational and instrumental perspective, do not bring the same effort and energy to the table that Pop Smoke himself did. This is pretty good by posthumous album standards don’t get me wrong, but I can’t help but be reminded of just how much more potential he had at every turn this album takes.

I don’t want to discount all the soaring highs this record offers up either though, as like I said this is actually pretty solid by posthumous rap album standards. While I don’t think that the songwriting and beat selection was up to par whatsoever given how non-dynamic so much of it is, there are many moments that defy that. The run of songs from Creature with Swae Lee through The Woo with 50 Cent and Roddy Rich is proof of this. This 4 song stretch is banger after banger, complete with solid features and memorable instrumentals that actually totally live up to how unique and fun Pop Smoke’s vocals are throughout the entire album. There are tons of tracks on this thing that combine awesome vocals from Pop Smoke with instrumentals that are good enough to make them worth coming back to. I’d say the best example of this, and easily the best song on the project, is the penultimate track Got It On Me. I mean seriously this one is nothing short of epic in moments, combining a gritty, explosive and catchy hook from Pop Smoke that wittily samples 50 Cent’s classic cut Many Men. This is exactly the kind of song I was hoping to hear from this thing, to the point where I’d say it’s legitimately perfect. This has the kind of intense energy it needs to bang in the car or at the parties, whilst delivering the same kind of vocal versatility that reminded the world what a talent Pop Smoke really is. The hook, instrumental and sample flip make this one of the most memorable rap songs I’ve heard this year. There are a good handful of tracks that definitely match this level of quality here, but unfortunately in typical mainstream Hip-Hop fashion there is also a ton of filler here. Still, I would totally recommend a listen through this just for the highlights as at the end of the day it does serve as a fantastic tribute to everything Pop Smoke was as a musical artist.

With any mainstream Hip-Hop record spanning around 20 songs in 2020, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there is a ton of filler. However, this time around it just hurts a little bit more given that Pop Smoke’s vocals are so consistently fire that he clearly had what it took to make a record this long with no filler whatsoever. I’m completely convinced that if Pop Smoke were still alive to curate this record himself, we wouldn’t have gotten any filler whatsoever. The dude wasn’t yet in his prime musically, and I’m willing to bet that if this was truly Pop Smoke’s album through and through my review would be considerably more positive. If his vocal capabilities throughout this project is any testament, every song on this bad boy would’ve been banger after rager after banger. That being said, what we were given through the interpretation of 50 Cent and other frequent collaborators is a record with plenty of fantastic tracks weighed down a bit by a ton of filler. When it comes to the performance brought to the table by Pop Smoke himself, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon is the most vocally versatile Hip-Hop record that’s come out this year. It does a fantastic job of showcasing the undeniable talent and star power Pop Smoke had, but unfortunately the beat selection and foundational curation done by those in charge of the release wasn’t as great. If the instrumentals and features were as amazing as Pop Smoke himself on this project, it would have been an instant classic. REST IN PEACE POP SMOKE - 6.1/10 (Best Songs - Aim for the Moon ft. Quavo, The Woo ft. 50 Cent & Roddy Rich, Got It On Me)