Faith

On the second posthumous album from Pop Smoke, we get a glimpse of the late rapper\'s mindset in the period before he died and of the seemingly limitless potential of his singular voice. The second half—on songs like “Woo Baby” and “Mr. Jones”—spotlights the agile melodies he was beginning to employ; “8-Ball” introduces an especially bluesy version that summons even more possibilities. The first half, though, is where he shines with his signature style. It\'s especially there on songs like “30” and “Brush Em,” which feature fellow Brooklyn drill rappers Bizzy Banks and Rah Swish, and in other flashes, even as the sounds around him shift. As with *Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon*, *Faith* is heavy on features in order to fill out the song fragments he left behind. This one pairs him with the likes of Kanye West, Pusha T, Rick Ross, and Pharrell as well as would-be peers like 42 Dugg, 21 Savage, and Lil Tjay. It\'s rarely disappointing to hear Pop doing what he did best, but it\'s also impossible not to wonder how he would\'ve approached these songs had he been here—still creating, still innovating, still evolving. Nevertheless, Pop Smoke\'s magic lives on, even if only in frustratingly fleeting moments.

Pop Smoke’s second posthumous album sounds like it’s solely designed to generate clicks as a new generation of rap fans continues to be exploited for their streams.

Faith is the ultimate affirmation of Pop Smoke’s musical transcendence

The Canarsie don's raw talent is overshadowed by superfluous guest spots on the second album to be released since his tragic death in 2020

Rapper Pop Smoke's second posthumous album has some dazzling moments, but ultimately feels like business as usual.

Though 2020's Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon was blighted by industry tampering, the voice of Brooklyn's Pop Smoke still cut through -- no amount of radio-friendly glitz could dampen the authenticity of "Got It on Me," "44 Bulldog," or "Gangstas."

The posthumous album has sadly been a staple in hip-hop for years, occasionally resulting in legacy-cementing projects like J Dilla's immacu...

Pop Smoke’s loss is all the more affecting for what he leaves behind. A talent in ascendance, his sudden, shocking death came at an appallingly