After the Billboard 200-topping success of Pop Smoke‘s posthumously released debut studio album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, Republic Records and Victor Victor Worldwide announced Wednesday (June 23) that the late rapper’s second studio album is set to debut July 16. The new title is yet to be revealed.
On Wednesday, an official trailer for the album was released on Pop Smoke’s YouTube Channel. In the clip, the late hitmaker is heard saying, “I always knew I was gonna be something good. I feel like it’s coming back to New York.”
“When you keep winning, they can’t stop you,” he says. “The fake can never succeed at nothing. When you know what you want, don’t let anybody get in between you and your creation. I ain’t trying to just be cool, we gotta make history.”
Indeed, Pop Smoke has been making history since the release of his first single, “MPR.” His posthumously released debut album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, which dropped July 3, 2020, topped the Billboard 200 and charted for 50 weeks. The hit also saw massive international success, hitting No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums tally, where it charted for 45 weeks. Pop Smoke’s debut studio album also charted in Greece, Germany, Australia and Italy.
The Brooklyn native, né Bashar Barakah Jackson, died Feb. 19, 2020, at age 20. Ahead of his death, Smoke released the fan-favorite mixtapes Meet the Woo and Meet the Woo 2. The latter debuted Feb. 7, 2020, just two weeks before Pop Smoke was killed in a home invasion in Los Angeles.
The star is posthumously nominated for two prizes at the 2021 BET Awards, airing live from Los Angeles on Sunday (June 27). Smoke could win the award for best male hip-hop artist. He is also up for BET’s best collaboration award for his hit track “For the Night,” featuring Lil Baby and and DaBaby. During the 2021 Billboard Music Awards in May, Pop won the top Billboard 200 album award. Last year, Smoke was nominated for a Grammy for best rap performance for his smash hit song “Dior.”
Ahead of his death, Pop Smoke starred in Eddie Huang’s drama film Boogie, which premiered March 5. He appears on Migos’ new album Culture III, Polo G’s latest album Hall of Fame and the film soundtrack for Fast and Furious 9.
