On Feb. 19, the music world was rocked by the loss of rising rapper Pop Smoke. The 20-year-old was fatally shot in a home in Hollywood Hills, Calif., launching an ongoing investigation that’s yet to uncover any leads. During his time on earth, the Brooklyn native always made it known who he was influenced by, namely 50 Cent. Now, the Power co-executive producer plans to keep the “Dior” rapper’s memory alive by producing his posthumous album.
On Instagram, Fifty stated, “I’m on the move listening to Pop Smoke, I decided I’m gonna executive produce and finish his album for him.” According to Hip-Hop-N-More, music executive Steven Victor who worked closely with Pop Smoke, specifically on his last project Meet The Woo 2, seemingly confirmed Fifty’s reveal. The Queens native also called on Roddy Ricch to lend his talents to the album.
In November 2019, Pop Smoke traveled to Power 106’s Los Angeles Leakers radio show to freestyle over 50 Cent’s “Not Like Me” instrumental, which received critical acclaim at the time.
