Last week, Pop Smoke landed at No. 4 on our “8 Rappers Who Died Too Soon” list. Passing away at age 20, Pop Smoke had only put out two mixtapes prior to his death.
Videos by American Songwriter
Because of this, his debut posthumous album from the summer of 2020, Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, is an integral part of his catalog, even if it came out after his death. As his most commercially successful LP, the tape includes high-profile collaborators like 50 Cent, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Future, and more.
But less than three years later, Pop Smoke’s producer Rico Beats, who he likely worked with the most throughout his short career, explained that the vault is now empty. In a screenshot from this past weekend, Rico Beats’ recent Instagram message conversation with a Pop Smoke fan saw him discuss the potential for more posthumous music from the late New York rapper.
“Who said he had music left,” Rico Beats wrote. “What else ya want pop died 3 years ago how much music ya think he did in one year? Y’all gotta be real.”
Hoping to curb unrealistic expectations, Rico Beats continued by saying that Pop Smoke might not have even been okay with putting out some of his already-released posthumous work.
“If pop was a live he would not approved of 99 percent of the stuff they put out,” the producer said.
Rico Beats most famously provided the instrumentals for Pop Smoke hits like “Hello (feat. A Boogie wit da Hoodie),” “Shake The Room,” and “Armed N Dangerous.” His recent sentiment somewhat mirrors a message Tyler, the Creator gave last week, where he explained that he did not want any of his music to be released after he dies.
As a close friend of Pop Smoke’s, Rico Beats likely knows best what his friend would have wanted. But, when artists pass away at a young age, it’s hard to keep fans from asking for posthumous releases.
Check out Rico Beats’ aforementioned conversation with a Pop Smoke fan below.
Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images
