What Pop Smoke meant to New York
his obituary essay-
Pop was born Bashar Barakah Jackson in 1999 to a Jamaican mother and a Panamanian father. He would go from running the streets to accompanying recording artists he knew during their studio sessions. He’d get his start in music in 2018, initially remixing New York City drill songs. That December, he dropped “MPR (Money, Power, Respect),” a rework of Brooklyn’s Sheff G’s “Panic, Pt. 3” with Sleepy Hallow and Fresh G. But it was his original music that propelled him to popularity. In April 2019, Pop released the introductory single that cemented his arrival, "Welcome to the Party"— an instantly infectious track with curiously catchy lyrics like “bytch, I’m a thot, get me lit” infused with bawdy Brooklyn slang atop a grime-esque bassline that separated from standard drill. He fortified this formula and released his debut EP,
Meet the Woo, three months later, quickly setting the soundscape of the city— its contained chaos of fusion gleans to NY’s more limitless than directionless rap scene. Within weeks, he scored features from hip-hop heavyweights; Nicki Minaj appeared on a remix of “Welcome to the Party,” as did French Montana and grime star Skepta. Other songs such as “Dior" and "Flexing” added to his growing catalogue and fame, but it was “Welcome to the Party” that hit the hardest. The song was anchored by its usage of UK drill production which would later characterize much of Pop Smoke’s discography due to frequent collaborations with East London producer 808Melo.
Pop Smoke was such a sensation to witness because, while hip-hop continues to expand, he fed off that cultural diffusion while remaining quintessentially New York. His Caribbean flair, Brooklyn bravado, and trademark tone swiftly became the new voice of the city. He was a familiar, yet fresh archetype of what New York feels, looks,and sounds like