Pop Smoke idolised 50 Cent, and the two of them became close friends, with Curtis Jackson also executive-producing the late rapper’s debut album — albeit posthumously.
They were spotted together partying at the SuperBowl in 2020, just weeks before Pop Smoke was tragically killed when he was burgled. Fiddy was somewhat of a mentor to the New York drill artist, and although they shared the same hometown and surname, unlike what many think, they were not related to each other.
Before his death, Smoke shared a venomous freestyle that covers ‘Many Men’ by Fiddy, which was featured on his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin. Additionally, he also appeared on 50 Cent’s YouTube channel and revealed his favourite verse by his hero comes from ‘Wanksta’.
Reciting the lyrics, Pop rapped: ‘You say you a gangsta, but you never pop nothin’, We say you a wanksta and you need to stop frontin’, You go to the dealership, but you don’t never cop nothin’, You been hustlin’ a long time and you ain’t got nothin’.”
Following Pop’s death, 50 was understandably devastated, and initially, he was consumed by anger. He tweeted: “I told you n***as to make sure nothing happen to him. What the fuck man. He was on his way.”
There was no doubt that Smoke was destined for superstardom, and it rested on 50 Cent’s shoulders to make sure his debut album was befitting of his greatness.
“When I met [Pop Smoke], I told him, it was time to do my records over,” 50 explained to Billboard. “Those [first two albums of mine] are [from] ’03 and ’05. If there’s something that struck a chord in you and it’s dope, the new artist is supposed to use that or make their version of it.”
The record was almost finished before his death, but 50 Cent stepped in to put the last lick of paint on Pop Smoke’s seminal creation. Tracks like ‘What You Know Bout Love’ and ‘Mood Swings’ were the sound of a rapper who could have dominated for a decade to come.
Upon its release, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon spent two weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 before spending 34 weeks in the top five of the Billboard 200. It became the fourth album in the 21st century to achieve this wild feat.
If only Pop Smoke and 50 Cent could have celebrated their shared success together.
