50 Cent Celebrates Pop Smoke’s Bittersweet BBMAs Wins

50 cent, executive producer of Pop Smoke‘s posthumous album, celebrated his five BBMA wins Sunday.

Pop won Top New Artist, Top Rap Artist, Top Male Rap Artist, and Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon won Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Rap Album.

50 cent made it a personal mission to take the late rapper’s mother to an awards show, a goal once held by Pop

“Pop said he wanted to take his mom to a award show,” he wrote. “Mission accomplished!”

Pop’s mother, Audrey Jackson, delivered an emotional speech when she took to the stage to accept her son’s awards.

“Thank you to the fans for honoring the life and spirit of my son, so much that he continues to manifest as if he were still here in flesh,” she said. “He created music for the kid who has to sleep four in a room, the kid who has to figure out how to get to school each day so he can graduate and make his mom proud. He did this so that 14 year olds would not have to kill to prove they are somebody.”

“That is the irony in this,” she added. “So thank you to the Billboard Awards leadership for honoring my young warrior Bashar Barakah Jackson, we call your name.”

50 Cent previously expressed fears that Pop’s album would be snubbed at the 2021 Grammy’s.

“They’re afraid to give him Grammys because they think it’s teaching the audience to want to be like Pop,” he said in November to Complex. “And to be like him is to be a part of gang culture. Who you see get Grammys that is making Drill music? You mean to tell me ain’t none of those songs worthy of it? Those platforms are not for them to acknowledge. It’s for the culture, the people to embrace those tones and to really appreciate the artist for doing that.”

Sweeping some of the biggest awards of the night, he can rest knowing that Pop’s impact is still being felt.

-Nancy Jiang

@nancy__jiang