The album art for Pop Smoke’s posthumous album was revealed yesterday. However, it didn’t take long for Smoke’s label to reconsider it and promise to make a change following widespread backlash.
Steven Victor, head of Victor Victor Worldwide, shared the cover on Instagram and wrote, “you were always shootings for the stars and aiming for the moon. everything we talked about is happening, the only thing is you’re not here in the flesh to see it all come together. you wanted Virgil to design your album cover and lead creative.. Virgil designed the album cover and led creative.. we love you and miss you more and more each day.”
Shortly after the cover was posted, it was widely ridiculed. The reactions on social media were not kind, and a petition to have the art changed currently has over 18,000 signatures. The petition, titled “Change Pop Smokes Album Artwork,” reads simply, “Virgil deadass was wild lazy with Pop Smokes Album cover and he needs to fix it.”
I’m not for cancelling people man, but Virgil needs to be stopped. We’ve had enough. He was better off doing this. pic.twitter.com/s52HEx5S0X
— 🏆 (@MaccMcCray) June 29, 2020
virgil abloh be like pic.twitter.com/4sY38nLWLY
— ultralightbeam MIAMI YEEZUS BLONDED WHITEFERRARI (@MIAMIULTRAA) June 29, 2020
Victor caught wind of the backlash and promised the art would be changed, writing in a series of tweets, “H E A R D YOU. B R B. MAKING A CHANGE. POP WOULD LISTEN TO HIS FANS!”
https://twitter.com/StevenVictor/status/1277763853649154049
https://twitter.com/StevenVictor/status/1277763906325356545
https://twitter.com/StevenVictor/status/1277763958556983296
https://twitter.com/StevenVictor/status/1277764083090108416
For now, it remains to be seen what Abloh will come up with next, or if the new art will perhaps be made by somebody else.
