Written By: Anastasia Malys
On Friday, July 16, four days before what would have been Pop Smoke’s 22nd birthday, Republic Records and Victor Victor Worldwide have delivered Pop Smoke’s second posthumous album, ‘Faith.’
The 20-song mixtape features some big-name guest appearances, such as Kanye West, Chris Brown, Dua Lipa, 21 Savage, Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Pusha-T, Future, Rick Ross, 42 Dugg, and more.
Three weeks before its release, an official trailer for ‘Faith’ premiered on Pop Smoke’s YouTube Channel. Two weeks later, the campaign continued in New York and Los Angeles, where the new album snippets were spread throughout the cities plastered on interactive posters.
A Brooklyn native rapper, whose full name was Bashar Barakah Jackson, skyrocketed to fame by releasing his albums ‘Meet the Woo, V.1‘ in 2019 and ‘Meet the Woo, V.2.’ in 2020. But, unfortunately, his rise was cut short when, two weeks after his second album release, he was shot and killed in Los Angeles during a home invasion in February 2020. Two men and two teens were subsequently charged with his murder.
Four months later, in July 2020, a full-length album, ‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,’ was posthumously released, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and has sold more than 7 million units. The album has also gained international success, hitting No. 1 on the Official U.K. charts and charting in Greece, Germany, Australia, and Italy.
In March 2021, Pop Smoke was nominated posthumously for the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards.
Listen to Pop Smoke’s second posthumous album ‘Faith’ on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
