Pop Smoke (Bashar Barakah Jackson): Brooklyn drill rapper

Career and notable releases

Pop Smoke began releasing music in the late 2010s and quickly attracted notice for his distinctive baritone and energetic delivery. In April 2019 he released the track "Welcome to the Party", which served as the lead single for his debut mixtape Meet the Woo. The song was later remixed by established artists, including a version with Nicki Minaj that increased its radio and streaming reach (Nicki Minaj remix) and another remix that emphasized the track's UK drill ties. He worked with several peers in hip hop, including younger New York artists and mainstream acts such as Travis Scott, expanding his profile across scenes.

Musical style and influence

Pop Smoke's music is often associated with Brooklyn drill, a subgenre that adapts the cadence and production of UK drill to New York settings. Characteristic elements of his tracks include sliding 808 basslines, tense, minimalist beats, and a gravelly vocal approach that combined menace with melody. Lyrical themes typically focused on street life, ambition and bravado, delivered in short, memorable hooks that made many tracks effective for clubs, radio and social media. Though his career was brief, his sound influenced other emerging artists and contributed to broader interest in drill as a contemporary movement.

Early life and background

Jackson was born in Brooklyn to a mother of Jamaican heritage and a father of Panamanian background. He grew up in several neighborhoods of New York City, attended local schools and began making music as a teenager. Reports about his schooling note disciplinary issues, including an expulsion in middle school, but he found a creative outlet in recording and performing. As his singles circulated online, industry attention followed and he signed with labels that helped distribute his work more widely.

Death and legacy

On February 19, 2020, Pop Smoke was shot during a residential home invasion at a rental property in Los Angeles. He was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he died that day at age 20. His death was widely reported and prompted conversations about violence affecting young artists and the pressures of rapid fame. In the months after his passing, posthumous releases and compilations brought his music to an even larger audience, solidifying his influence on drill and contemporary hip hop.

Selected facts

• Breakthrough single: "Welcome to the Party" (2019), notable for high-profile remixes.
• Debut mixtape: Meet the Woo, followed by additional releases that increased his profile.
• Cultural impact: a key figure in the popularization of Brooklyn drill and a voice adopted by peers.
• Collaborations: worked with a range of artists across hip hop, including features and remixes (Travis Scott, Lil Tjay and others).

Pop Smoke's career was short but influential: he brought renewed attention to a regional sound, inspired new artists, and left a catalogue that continues to be discussed and revisited by fans and critics. For more detailed timelines, discographies and contemporaneous coverage, consult music resources and archival reports that document his recordings, performances and posthumous releases.