Maybe I should’ve done my research.”, This Week in Comedy Podcasts: Black Conspiracy Theories With Langston Kerman. Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon—out today via Republic Records—comes with high stakes attached. Young Thug and Gunna sound so tight when they mumble their asses off on mafioso-like beats like the one you hear on “Paranoia.” Also, I am starting to think Pop Smoke could’ve been a chorus killer if he was still on this earth because he absolutely slays the hook that powers this song (Just like he slays most hooks on Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon). For a while, the well dried up. I just updated the post. Pop Smoke's legacy continues with posthumous debut album, Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon. Experimentation is the name of the game on SFTSAFTM. Is that DaBaby? TOP 5 . Oh, this shit is SAVAGE. Excellent and wide-ranging at its best, Shoot For The Stars does feature some dead weight. The flow that Pop Smoke uses on “Hello” is one of my favorites right now. By contrast, Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon, Pop’s 19-track posthumous debut album, marks a dramatic expansion — and dilution — of his signature sound. These guitars are giving me a vibe. Neither did Diddy’s kid. Pop didn’t need guests. The hook is entrancing. Dancing guitars and skittering 808s are all you need to know some shit’s about to go down. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. I was like, ‘I don’t care!’”, Stop It: The Only Person Worthy of Replacing Alex Trebek Is Ken Jennings. In usual 1-Listen fashion, the rules are the same: no rewinds, pauses, or skips—a straight shot through followed by my gut reactions. I can’t make out who that is singing in the background, but they’re holding it down. For all the pomp and circumstance surrounding hit songs like “Welcome To The Party” and “Dior,” his star was just beginning to rise. Roddy Ricch landed right in the pocket. 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It’s a beautiful sight when the entire city of New York gets behind the same song — greater still when it unites behind a homegrown talent. A year that began with the Brooklyn rapper’s sophomore project Meet The Woo 2—which debuted at No. If someone plays this s**t at a pool party, people might go crazy. The NYPD had it out for him his whole life. And now they’re vocalizing together. Pop Smoke’s debut album Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon is riddled with such questions. He grew up on the outer margins of Brooklyn, in Canarsie. “I don’t cry no more / I don’t look to the sky no more because I got it on me.” Chills. The tenuous relationship between New York hip-hop artists and police and elected officials pinched the tributaries that push local talent into the mainstream. HONORABLE MENTION. Pop Smoke’s ‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon’: Album Review Roddy Ricch, 50 Cent and DaBaby join the inventive late Brooklyn rapper on his posthumous full-length debut Having new Pop Smoke music to … Buried under the fluff somewhere is a good album. “None of that rainbow-haired shit.” Shots at 6ix9ine from beyond the grave. Pressure on venues to avoid booking musicians with criminal records and bar owners’ reluctance to host rap fans complicated the path to stardom for artists in their own hometown. I feel a twinge of regret every time I hear Pop Smoke’s billowing baritone seeping from passing car speakers, every time I see footage of protestors shouting the chorus to “Dior” in defiance of a system that constantly put him, and others like him, down. 2 Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon neither blights nor burnishes Pop Smoke’s legacy. On this deluxe version of the album, I feel like they capitalize on what we thought his strengths were. Shoot for the Stars tries a similar trick. SHOWIN OFF PT. 1, Paranoia, Hello, and Be Clearr. “I need your number and that’s that.” To the point. A party starter for sure. 1 & SHOWIN OFF PT. With stakes this high and a legacy to consider, the end result may or may not bear much of a resemblance to what Pop Smoke had in mind. He and Pop wear many of the same hats, so hearing them attack a track together is fitting. It makes a kind of sense when you consider the rapper’s dismay about the well-trodden pathways between inner cities and upstate prisons, as expressed in “Dior” as well as in interviews, and the fact that the NYPD was on his back so much it literally had him removed from a festival bill. His gruff voice is a natural fit for these bleeding heart love songs. This triangulation of hyper-regional rap elements gave Woo 1 and 2 a narrow focus. Pop Smoke was—and is—New York City’s pride and joy. In a matter of months, he consolidated Brooklyn’s burgeoning drill sound and emerged as the scene’s most popular exponent. What Does It Take To Reopen A Hotel During The Pandemic? “44 Bulldog” and “Gangstas” present hard-nosed efforts that creep around the alleyways under the moon unfazed by the danger that lays ahead. With Shoot for the Stars, Pop Smoke’s summer reign continues. OH CRAP, YOU’RE RIGHT! Quavo didn’t need three guest spots. Smooth Dr. Dre beats and indelible hooks gave a distinctly New York City album a winning post-regional versatility. Knowing Pop Smoke passed away is tragic and at. “I went and did some time in the jail because I’d rather take the fast route.” He’s jumping between sex, jail, guns, and fashion talk so quickly it’s hard to catch up. This song oozes sinister energy. He’s releasing a skin-care line, Humanrace, on November 25. © 2020 METACRITIC, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. © 2020 Vox Media, LLC. By the closing stretch, Pop is putting his own spin on late ’90s and 2000s R&B staples like Ginuwine’s “Differences” (“What You Know Bout Love”), Tamia’s “So Into You” (“Something Special”), and Playa’s “Cheers 2 U” (“Diana”). "And I kept it undercover cause I don't kiss and tell." Bass warbles for days. Pop Smoke – Shoot For the Stars Aim For the Moon review: Late rapper’s album is brilliant and bittersweet. Pop Smoke took to singing. ‘Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon’ opens up with a 48 second intro: 'Bad Bitch From Tokyo'. What makes the album truly stand out is that it serves as a testament to the strength, power and knowledge Smoke held in his ambition to go to the very top. Quavo sounds more alert than he has in a minute. his whole life. When a prolific musician passes away, the art left behind is a gift, a window into thought processes and creative endeavors pursued at the time of passing, sketches of a possible career trajectory the artist may have navigated given time to carry out more plans. The rocket is primed and ready. “Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon” holds weight, innovates and – pardon the pun – blows more fire than smoke. Both Pop and Lil Tjay are horny on main right now. a perfect argument for the global reach of drill, the constellation of rappers taken away too soon, the guests brought in to pad out some of these song fragments. We’ve hit the oldies section of the album. Want more Rolling Stone? Shooting for the stars is only possible through leaving one’s world and that’s exactly what Pop Smoke did. The album arrives on grim, foreboding cuts like “Aim for the Moon” and “44 Bulldog” but drifts a little with every song. Sign up for our newsletter. The R&B vibes were nice while they lasted. That “Candy Shop” reference was smooth. You could tell he put a lot of effort into his music. It’s harder to get past the density of high-profile featured artists, who generally exist as empty calories filling out otherwise half-finished Pop Smoke demos. Still, you can hear him in the wobbling bass carried on the balmy New York summer wind. “You ain’t know I could sing?” Pop chirps flirtatiously at the outset of “Mood Swings.” It is endearing to hear him lower his guard, soften his rasp, trade his boundless swagger for tenderness, and offer the mushy overtures of a kid who loves cuddling nearly as much as sex. While, features a handful of hell-raisers in the vein of the. It’s a shame there are not enough songs where Pop’s talent can shine on its own. Avoiding the trappings that come with posthumous albums, this feels like the album Pop aimed to make and wanted the world to receive. As was the case with Meet the Woo Vol. Mustard beat. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon [Instrumentals] - Pop Smoke on AllMusic Do you know what both the original version and deluxe version of Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon has taught me?