Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard the name Pop Smoke come up. His hit track “Welcome To The Party” took the city by storm with its insane production, grimy lyrics, and a catchy flow amassing 5 million views on YouTube and counting.
Welcome To The Party may be Pop Smoke’s biggest record, but the BK rapper didn’t stop there. Prior to the release of his debut project Pop Smoke also released visuals for tracks “Meet The Woo”, “Flexing”, and “MPR” which all have at least a million views on YouTube and counting.
Pop Smoke is a product of the Brooklyn neighborhood called Canarsie. The influence of that environment is directly correlated to his music. Canarsie like most inner-city neighborhood’s in New York City is full of low-income housing, gangs, and drugs. Pop Smoke cultivates all of that into his music.
The Album
Pop Smoke’s “Meet The Woo” is a 9 track project produced entirely by 808melobeats and his team Trap House Mob. Pop’s ability to make hits over “UK Drill beats” has spawned a new genre for his city “NYC Drill”. Drill music’s origins trace back to Chicago, but NYC and Chicago’s drill music is completely different. Both talk about the poverty and crime that parades over their city like a dark cloud but sonically the two just sound different.
NYC’s Drill Music is most comparable to the UK Drill (or grime) scene. 808 Melo and Trap House Mob who hail from the UK, are Pop’s go-to producers. The energy throughout “Meet The Woo” is the same energy that is seen when Playboi Carti dropped “R.I.P” at Coachella, or when Travis Scott performed “Quintana” at Summer Jam in 2015 sending the crowd into a rage.
Songs 1-9 provide a relatable soundtrack for NYC youth whether you are involved in the streets or not, the music can best be described as “heavy metal” for NYC’s inner-city youth. Each track is blessed with production that will leave your car or headphones rattling backed by Pop Smoke’s violent lyrics.
Pop Smoke hasn’t emerged into a star just yet, but the potential is there if the young BK rapper can stay focused and out of trouble the sky is the limit. Take a listen to “Meet The Woo” below.
