Country : Etats-Unis Label : Republic Genres and styles : Drill / Hip Hop / Trap Year : 2020

Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon

· by Félix Desjardins

With the wind in his sails, promoted by the biggest names in the industry, Pop Smoke aspired to restore the Brooklyn crest and reign over American rap. Fate would have it otherwise. He was murdered earlier this year by four burglars in his luxurious Los Angeles home. Planning to soon release his first studio album, the 20-year-old New York MC left his label with a large bundle of tracks. A few months later, this much-anticipated opus was released, not without pitfalls. First version of the cover rejected, a title criticized for its sappy connotations, a delayed release date, even the planets seemed to have united against Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon. Relying on the legendary 50 Cent as executive producer, the album manages to do justice to Pop Smoke’s impressive talent. However, this posthumous rap work is diluted by an overabundance of collaborations, sometimes repetitive, the whole becoming a rather homogeneous set of 19 tracks. A pioneer of drill, a subgenre of trap popularized in Chicago and New York, the late rapper shines with his sudden changes in flow and sung verses, without ever being robbed of the spotlight by the guest superstars. As long as its title, the album accumulates heavy sounds and hymns to epicureanism, Pop Smoke’s specialty. It would be a trap, however, to dwell only on the superficiality of the work, when it has become an important symbol for underprivileged New York youth. In reality, the major weaknesses of the album lie in the decisions made by the label, which unduly stretched the final product to make Pop Smoke’s demise as profitable as possible. A “deluxe” version is even already planned…

Latest 360 Content

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

LMNL – Rainbow

LMNL – Rainbow

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Galan Trio – Embrace

Galan Trio – Embrace

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Hypercube – The Force for Good

Hypercube – The Force for Good

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

Duo AYA – Cycles

Duo AYA – Cycles

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Samuel Bonnet Trio – Live in Harmony

Samuel Bonnet Trio – Live in Harmony

Marc-André Hamelin; Quatuor Takacs – Dvořák & Price : Piano Quintets

Marc-André Hamelin; Quatuor Takacs – Dvořák & Price : Piano Quintets

Oktopus – Brahms, Balkans & Bagels

Oktopus – Brahms, Balkans & Bagels

OCM: Bernstein and his “Side stories” in the spotlight

OCM: Bernstein and his “Side stories” in the spotlight

Abracadabra! Klô Pelgag is Back

Abracadabra! Klô Pelgag is Back

Subscribe to our newsletter