Pop Smoke’s Second Posthumous Album ‘Faith’ is Here!

Just over a year after the release of Pop Smoke’s first posthumous album, ‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,’ the follow-up, ‘Faith’ arrived this morning.

‘Faith’ album cover

The culture is still recovering from Pop Smoke’s tragic passing in February 2020.  However, his first posthumous album has left the world perpetually celebrating his life ever since it came out.  At just about any party scene, Pop Smoke’s music is delightfully unavoidable.  While ‘Shoot for the Stars’ pleased just about everybody, it had the characteristics of a posthumous album, a bit unfocused at times and fairly reliant on features.

PC: ‘Faith’ promo video

‘Faith,’ though not even a day old, will likely please fans who had those complaints.  ‘Faith’ is loaded with bangers as well as some of Pop Smoke’s signature style chill tracks.  It flows well and makes for a fun but very sentimental experience.  There is an equally dense saturation of features on ‘Faith’ but Pop’s performances match his features just about every time.  With a feature list including, and certainly not limited to, Kanye West, Pusha T (x2!), Kid Cudi, and even Dua Lipa, Pop impresses with his ability to keep up.  One of Pusha T’s lyrics on ‘Tell the Vision‘ already got the culture talking:

“Look, Tyler got the album of the year, for now/But Pop about to drop, I see the platinum in the clouds/Now Push about to drop, so real trappers stick around.”  

What truly makes ‘Faith’ feel worthwhile is that, at many points, it actually feels like Pop Smoke intended the album to sound how it does.  While the clock is running thin on how long they can keep making these posthumous albums, this LP does defy some expectations in terms of respect to Pop’s intentions.  Not only does ‘Faith’ provide the kind of Pop Smoke we expected, but there are also plenty of moments that exemplify his artistic growth.  His lyrics are more mature, his style is diversified, and the heartbreak of his loss is as strong as ever.

Audrey and Obasi Jackson accepting Pop Smoke’s award.  PC: Emma McIntyre

Start the first track, a warm introduction from Pop Smoke’s mother, Audrey Jackson, and get lost in it.  Whether or not you actually choose to, we can guarantee one thing, you’re gonna be hearing it all over the place.  R.I.P. Pop Smoke, thanks for another solid work.

Written by Jason Heilbronner | Twitter: @JasonHeilbronn1