Pop Smoke Wouldn’t Approve of His Posthumous Music, Producer Says

Pop Smoke‘s producer, Rico Beats, recently claimed in a series of text messages that the late Brooklyn rapper wouldn’t have “approved 99 percent” of the music that was released after his death.

Over the weekend, in a series of text messages between him and a fan, producer Rico Beats claimed that Pop Smoke wouldn’t have co-signed any of the music that was posthumously released following his death in February 2020.

“If pop was [alive] he would not approve of 99 percent of the stuff they put out,” the “Hello” hitmaker responded to the fan’s question about any remaining music being released from Pop Smoke’s vault.

Initially, the fan was hoping more music was in the works, but Rico Beats said there is no music left to be released.

“Who said he had music left,” Rico texted to the fan. “What else ya want[?] Pop died 3 years ago how much music ya think he did in one year? Y’all gotta be real.”

Pop Smoke‘s last posthumous album, Faith, was released in July 2021. The collection debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 88,000 album-equivalent units in its first week of release. The chart achievement marked Pop’s second No. 1 album in his posthumous career.

Since his death, a 20-year-old man has pleaded guilty and admitted to killing Pop Smoke during a robbery at a Hollywood Hills, Calif. mansion on Feb. 19, 2020.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the defendant pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery during a hearing on April 6, 2023. Judge J. Christopher Smith sentenced the young man to four years and two months in the Secure Youth Treatment Facility, but warned him that he could remain in juvenile custody until he was 25.

The defendant is among three other people charged in Pop Smoke’s murder. Two juvenile defendants, ages 15 and 17 during the homicide, and Corey Walker, 19, have yet to be sentenced. A court order had been issued blocking the media from identifying the juvenile defendants in the case.

Read Rico Beats’ Message to a Fan About Pop Smoke’s Posthumous Music Below

Dang….
by u/Interesting_Ad_1922 in NYStateOfMind

See the Best Hip-Hop Projects From Rappers We Lost