Review: Pop Smoke's "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon"

Pop Smoke released his posthumous album today, and I am going to review it, track by track. Will it be good, or will it be off the Xan and off the molly and move retarded? Let's find out.

1. Bad B*tch from Tokyo (Intro)

Straight off the bat, we have a 48-second long intro that barely sounds like Pop Smoke is rapping. The lyrics are sloppy and lazy, and the track is too short to even become a hit. I'd give it a 2/10.

2. Aim For The Moon (featuring Quavo)

The second track can't even start off with original lines, still referencing being retarded and Dior clothes. Pop Smoke also tries it out with melodies on this track, but I'ma be honest, he is NOT good at singing at all. Quavo's verse is also lazy and unoriginal, which is a typical Quavo verse nowadays. The only really catchy part of the track is when Pop Smoke repeatedly says "Yeah", but other than that, this is not gonna be on repeat. I'd give it a solid 4/10.

3. For The Night (featuring Lil Baby & DaBaby)

CashMoneyAP has a great beat on the track, but Pop Smoke singing is complete trash. He is really only good over drill beats and not over Gunna type beats. Lil Baby delivers a typical verse, and it's not that bad, to be honest. It's the same with DaBaby, and his verse is slightly more animated than Lil Baby's verse. The track is decent enough for me to give it a 6/10.

4. 44 Bulldog

I get "Dior" vibes from this track, but it's still not that good. The bars are lazy and overused. However, it is kind of catchy, catchy enough to become a club hit. I'd also give it 6/10.

5. Gangstas

First off, the intro is too long and boring to capture anyone's attention. Pop Smoke is singing yet AGAIN on this track, and he sounds like he just woke up and started recording his verses. I'd give the track a 3/10.

6. Yea Yea

Pop Smoke dabbles into some R&B vibes here, but instead of talking about a lot of romance, though, he also talks about a lot of guns, which just doesn't fit on the track. It is catchy, though, and has the potential to become a gigantic hit single. I'd give it a solid 6/10 because of its hook.

7. Creature (featuring Swae Lee)

Swae Lee can just mold into any track usually, but he doesn't fit on a 808Melo beat. Pop Smoke saves the track, however, with a more animated verse this time. The track is still kind of lazy, but will definitely be a big single because of people overhyping Swae Lee. I'd give the track a 7/10.

8. Snitching (featuring Quavo and Future)

The skit in the start is not funny at all and is unoriginal. The Buddah Bless production is pretty good and fits perfectly with Quavo's vocals. But we don't really need a whole song about snitching, now, do we? No, we don't. Pop Smoke feels weird and out of place on the track, and Future sounds lazy and delivers a boring, typical verse. I'd give the track a 4/10.

9. Make It Rain (featuring Rowdy Rebel)

When this track came out, it was what I thought was gonna be Pop Smoke's album: fun. So far, it hasn't been. But this track is what the album should be. It has a great instrumental, Pop Smoke actually sounds awake and awesome on this track, and the transition to Rowdy Rebel's phoned-in verse had me dead. His verse is not bad, either. I'd give this track a surprisingly high 8/10.

10. The Woo (featuring 50 Cent and Roddy Ricch)

Roddy Ricch sounds amazing on this track, but Pop Smoke's singing doesn't blend well on this track, although it is improved and the hook is catchy. The real piece of dumpster fire on this track is 50 Cent, who delivers a lazy and low-IQ verse. Seriously, who really cares about him anymore? This track gets a 5/10.

11. West Coast Shit (featuring Tyga and Quavo)

Quavo is fine on this track, but Tyga's verse is awkward and he is WAY offbeat on here. The hook is extremely catchy and Pop Smoke's lines on there are fine, but his verse just sounds recycled. I'd give this track a 4/10.

12. Enjoy Yourself (featuring Karol G)

Pop Smoke actually doesn't sound that bad on this track, especially considering the instrumental is like an R&B type beat. However, Karol G ruins the track with a generic verse from here, trying to sound seductive. It doesn't help I can't understand anything she's saying, even though I take Spanish lessons on Duolingo. I'd give this track a 5/10.

13. Mood Swings (featuring Lil Tjay)

Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay are a good duo on drill beats, but not on Khalid-type beats. Pop Smoke's hook is kind of gross, and his verse is just not that good because he's singing. When I saw the tracklist today, I was happy there was at least ONE Pop Smoke affiliate on the album, but Lil Tjay sounds even more lazy than he was "20/20", which was somehow a hit. I'd give this track a 3/10.

14. Something Special

This track makes me want to delete Spotify. Pop Smoke does NOT work well over soapy R&B beats! The track has nothing new and sounds like a cheap attempt at impersonating Chris Brown. I'd give this track a 1/10, and that's being nice.

15. What You Know Bout Love

The hook is atrocious, and Pop Smoke's vocals are NOT like candies melting on the beat. I really don't even have much to say, since I'm so tired of this crap album. I'd give it a 2/10.

16. Diana (featuring King Combs)

Pop Smoke's flow is just unoriginal and tired on this track, and I just wanna go to bed because I'm so tired of this. King Combs is even worse, because he just sounds like a Chris Brown-stereotype. The track gets a 2/10 from me.

17. Got It On Me

When I heard the first few seconds of the track, I got excited, because I thought it was gonna be a hardcore drill song. And it is, for the most part. Although Pop Smoke's interpolation of 50 Cent's overrated piece of junk "Many Men" is not that great, his verses are animated and made me want to go shoot someone. I'm just glad to get away from those trash R&B songs that I'm gonna give this a 7/10.

18. Tunnel Vision (Outro)

This is what I am TALKING about! The chorus is great, the verse is great, and the outro is AWESOME! It really shines on Pop Smoke's career with a golden lamp and is the best track on the album. I'm so happy that it closed out like this I'm going to give this a 9/10.

19. Dior (Bonus Track)

I can't believe 50 Cent is trying to get more money here by adding a song that's already been on two previous projects. The track is still a bop, though, and is one of Pop Smoke's best tracks ever, which is why it was such a success. I'd give it a 7/10.

OVERALL RATING: 4.7/10