Tuesday marked what would have been Pop Smoke’s 22nd birthday, and sadly the Hip-Hop community had to celebrate the late Hip-Hop icon’s birthday without him. A year and a half after his passing, Pop Smoke’s presence is still sorely missed, leaving his fans with two posthumous albums in his place. His two-times platinum debut album Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon has been generally well-received amongst Pop’s fanbase, but the verdict is still out on the recently released Faith.
Regardless, the arrival of a new album and his birthday has many people missing Pop Smoke more than ever, including his former mentor 50 Cent.
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Late Tuesday evening, 50 Cent took to Instagram to honor his fallen friend. Contrary to the typical Fif post, his post for Pop wasn’t flooded with hashtags promoting all of his most recent business endeavors, showing that he’s also still hurt by the loss of Pop Smoke.
Echoing the sentiment that the “Dior” rapper died far too young, 50 said, “Pop would have been 22 today, [dove emoji] R.I.P [shooting star emoji] Woo.”
Even though he has recently declared himself DaBaby’s new mentor, it’s clear that no one can replace Bashar “Pop Smoke” Jackson. Rest in peace, Pop! And if you haven’t already checked it out, listen to the deluxe version of Faith here.