Pop Smoke
A Brooklyn drill pioneer whose gritty voice and UK-inspired beats defined a raw new sound for New York's streets before his life was cut short.
1999–2020 (age 21)·American rapper·Birthday: July 20·Generation Z
Biography
Pop Smoke's 2019 breakout single 'Welcome to the Party' introduced a darker, minimalist drill sound from London, stamped with his gravelly baritone. Born Bashar Barakah Jackson in 1999 in Brooklyn's Canarsie neighborhood, he moved with relentless pace, releasing the mixtape 'Meet the Woo' and collaborating with rap's elite. His debut album vision, 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,' was left unfinished when he was killed during a home invasion in Los Angeles in February 2020. Posthumous completion of that album turned it into a monumental success. He became a foundational voice of a movement.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Pop was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Pop Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Pop's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- His 2019 single 'Welcome to the Party' became the explosive anthem that launched the Brooklyn drill scene into the mainstream.
- His posthumous debut album 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon' debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in 2020.
- The album's single 'Dior' became a platinum-certified hit and a cultural touchstone, frequently used in viral videos and fashion contexts.
- He earned a Billboard Music Award for Top New Artist in 2021, a testament to his posthumous impact.
Did You Know?
He was a childhood friend of fellow Brooklyn rapper Fivio Foreign.
His stage name came from a childhood nickname; 'Pop' for popping off (fighting) and 'Smoke' for his ability to evade police.
He recorded his early hits, including 'Welcome to the Party,' in a makeshift studio in a Brooklyn Airbnb.
He was a fan of the UK drill scene and directly collaborated with UK producer 808Melo, who crafted his signature sound.
“I came in this bitch with a purpose, I'm never nervous.”
