Pop Smoke's Brother Opens Up About His Passing, 50 Cent's Influence, Possible Dior Collab, And More

It's been over five months since hip-hop lost rising Brooklyn rapper, Pop Smoke. He was shot and killed at a Hollywood Hills, CA mansion on February 19 during a home invasion. A few weeks ago though, four suspects were arrested after LAPD handed down warrants on murder charges. These were two men and two teenagers. The two men may also be facing the death penalty if they are convicted. His posthumous debut studio album, 'Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon' was also released back on July 3.

Pop Smoke - Instagram

Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart as it sold 248,000 units in its first week. This project was led by the single "Make It Rain" featuring Rowdy Rebel along with other rising records such as "The Woo" feat. Roddy Ricch and 50 Cent and "For The Night" feat. Lil Baby and DaBaby. 50 also served as the executive producer for the album despite some disagreements with people who were behind the album's release.

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The album's deluxe edition was also released on July 20. which was his 21st birthday. 15 additional songs were released with appearances by Gunna, Young Thug, and more. Pusha T was supposed to appear on the "Paranoia" song with Gunna and Thug but Thug hated how Pusha supposedly dissed Drake on the verse. Pusha voluntarily asked for his verse to be removed.

The first annual Pop Smoke Day was also held in his hometown of Brooklyn. Recently, Smoke's brother, Obasi Jackson aka Baz, spoke with Heavy.com's Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson about the loss of Smoke and even a song titled "Work" that he recorded in his memory.

"The healing process has not been easy," said Jackson regarding losing his brother. "We all try to stay busy understanding that we have to continue to do work in his name. I would say it brought my family closer as well."

Meet The Woo 2- Twitter

Jackson was also asked about his mental health since the loss of Smoke and he revealed that sometimes, it's hard to think but he's taking things one day at a time. He also added that the Work record was surprisingly recorded at the end of 2019, months before the world lost Smoke. This was completed in his college dorm.

"The funny thing is I made Work at the end of last year," explained Jackson. "It didn’t take me long to make the song. I recorded the original in my dorm."

Pop Smoke - "Shake The Room" music video featuring Quavo

Jackson also spoke on how much of an influence that 50 Cent was on Smoke. The two hung out frequently before his passing and also impacted his music sound. Some of Smoke's favorite 50 songs are "Many Men," "Candy Shop," "When It Rains It Pours," and "I’ll Whip Ya Head Boy."

"50 Cent influenced my brother a lot. 50 revolutionized hip-hop by singing on hooks while makin gangster rap. Pop revolutionized drill rap and made it totally commercial."

Jackson also added that Dior sent the family flower after Smoke's passing. Smoke went on to have a platinum record titled "Dior" and a remix to it feat. Gunna. Jaskson revealed that he would love to eventually collaborate with the designer brand.

"Dior sent flowers In The beginning when pop first died. Other than that, they don’t talk to us really. I would love to do a collab. It would really push me into the fashion realm!"

Smoke was definitely on his way to stardom in 2020. It's great to see fans continue to continue to honor his memory with the way his projects continue to be streamed at a very high rate. Hopefully, Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon isn't the last one we get from Smoke's family.