Pop Smoke‘s final interview before his death has surfaced to give fans one last moment of insights from the burgeoning star, courtesy of HipHopNMore on Instagram. Given to BBC Asian Network’s DJ Limelight and Kan D Man, the interview sees Pop relating to his hosts through the cultural roots of his real name, Bashar, paying homage to the UK producers helping to craft the sound of New York drill, and discussing the cross-pond impact of his breakout hit, “Welcome To The Party.”
He says it was “real easy” to get in touch with Skepta for the grime godfather’s “Welcome To The Party” remix, since Skepta reached out through mutual connections to make the introduction. However, he admits he wasn’t aware of the UK drill sound until he began touring, but once he had, he says, “I got lucky… I just played it and I got a hit.” Meanwhile, he shouted out 808Melo, Axl Beats, and Yoz Beatz as UK producers he worked with during his rise. Check out the interview below.
Pop Smoke died at the age of 20 a week ago, when masked gunmen broke into a house he was renting and shot him multiple times. In the wake of his death, his music’s streams increased almost 400 percent, while a wave of artists sharing their own stories increased the public’s awareness of how dangerous fame can occasionally be. Artists who have performed tributes to Smoke include Joey Badass, Lil Tjay, and Roddy Ricch.
Watch Pop Smoke’s final interview embedded above.
