Shoot for the Stars, Aim for The Moon
On July 3rd, just five months after the artist’s untimely passing, Pop Smoke’s label, Republic Records, released the Canarsie rappers final project, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for The Moon. The bittersweet posthumous album consists of 19 songs and a dozen features from notable artists like Quavo, Lil Baby, DaBaby, Lil Tjay, Roddy Ricch, 50 Cent, Future, and more. Even despite the star-studded features, The Woo’s presence is certainly felt throughout the entire album.
Unlike his previous projects Meet the Woo and Meet the Woo 2, the Brooklyn artist’s debut album gives listeners a glimpse into Pop Smoke’s creative essence. Beginning with griddy, hard-hitting, nightmarish tracks, “Bad Bitch From Tokyo,” “Aim for the Moon,” and “For the Night” as well as “44 Bulldogs” have the raw drill sound that fans know and love. However, the album’s vibe quickly shifts as the artist taps into his R&B side. In songs like “Gangstas,” “Yea Yea,” “‘Mood Swings,” and “Enjoy Yourself,” the Pop showcased his hidden childhood talent, singing. Much like Drake’s sing-songy approach to some of his more popular tracks, Pop Smoke’s deep, raspy voice and melodious bars uniquely (and surprisingly) flows on the R&B style beats featured on the album. Similarly, Pop Smoke paid homage to some classic Hip-Hop and R&B hits like Tamia’s “So Into You,” Genuiwine’s “Differences” and 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop.” After showcasing the artist's various sounds, one of the closing tracks on the album is “Got It on Me,” riffing off of 50 Cents’ track “Many Men.” On that track, fans are met with the eerie sounds of Pop Smoke singing “Have mercy on me, have mercy on my soul. Don't let my heart turn cold” when the world, in fact, didn’t show mercy to him.
Naturally, when listening to Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, you can’t help but wonder what it would have sounded like if the Brooklyn star was able to contribute to the album’s final production stages. Would there have been so many features? Would the track list be different? Would there have been a larger New Yorker drill presence?
Despite most of the records being pre-recorded, many questioned some of the musical decisions.
When Pop Smoke first made his debut in the mainstream Hip-Hop scene, his Brooklyn sound mixed with UK Drill beats is what led to his widespread popularity. As the hype surrounding New York Drill music grew, so did the hype surrounding other New York drill rappers like Fivio Foreign, 22Gz, Sleepy Hollow, Smoove L, Sheff G, and more. Now, when the single “Make It Rain” featuring currently-imprisoned NY rapper Rowdy Rebel dropped on June 12th, fans anticipated hearing the Brooklyn star collab with more New York City artists on his debut album as well.
Was the lack of New York City collabs intentional? Were these features supposed to symbolize a shift in Pop Smoke’s sound? Sadly, we will never have the definitive answers to those questions.
Nonetheless, it’s safe to say that Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon was exactly what the Hip-Hop fans needed amidst the protests and social distancing. Despite the cataclysmic circumstances surrounding the album’s arrival, it certainly honored Pop Smoke’s amazing legacy. The Smoke will never clear.
RIP The Woo 💙💫
by: Haniyah Philogene
