Pop Smoke 'Faith' Album [Review]

Releasing a posthumous project of a loved and successful artist is never easy, the public will either love it or hate it, the album will either be a success or a flop. 'Faith' is Pop Smoke's second studio album released through Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records.

A year ago the music world was hit with the great loss of American rapper Pop Smoke. However, overshadowing the sadness, we were graced with his debut posthumous studio album 'Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon' and its deluxe version which was executive-produced by American rapper 50 Cent. The success of the album is apparent till this day, with many considering it as their favourite album of 2020, and it reaching Certified Platinum.

The album itself is a body of work, consisting of its realistic & reasonable features such as Lil Tjay, Fivio Foriegn, Gunna, Quavo & more led by Pop Smoke type beats. The successful outcome of the album should also be recognized due to its formidable production. 50 Cent and other producers behind the album made sure that it was known that "The Smoke Will Never Clear" as the late rapper's distinctive voice dominated nearly every track on the album, allowing the rapper's presence is immensely felt throughout the project, as well as showcasing a softer side of Pop Smoke that many fans were not used to. 'Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon' was a great first posthumous album with a lack of disappointment and skips.

Pop Smoke's second posthumous studio album 'Faith' was released with a lack of anticipation in comparison to the the prior album, especially after the track list was revealed. The album features guest appearances from Future, Kanye West, Pusha T, Dua Lipa and more continuous features, seeming as though there was no true direction for the project, from start to finish. Whilst there are familiar names that rapper has previously worked with, with the likes of Lil Tjay, Quavo and Kid Cudi, it was also great to have fellow New York rappers Bizzy Banks ('30') and Rah Swish ('Brush Em') on the album as they delivered that authentic New York drill sound that Pop Smoke's music is renowned for having. The album has its strengths, demonstrated in the Intro 'Good News' where the late rapper's mother performs a spoken word over his popular 'Welcome To The Party' instrumental: ("Faith/ To Believe in something as if it already existed/ Bashar means bringer of good news") and 'Woo baby' which features Chris Brown, but is overall outweighed by its oversaturated features from 42 Dugg, 21 Savage and more as well as the hard-to-grasp beats and sounds we hear on tracks like 'Top Shotta' produced by the Neptunes and features Pusha T,TRAVI & Beam and on the fourth track 'Manslaughter' with Rick Ross & The-Dream.

There are some standout tracks such as 'Woo Baby' (Ft. Chris Brown), '30' (Ft. Bizzy Banks), 'Mr Jones' (Ft. Future) and 'Spoiled' which features Pharrell Williams. Solidifying the album was down to the rapper's solo tracks; 'More Time', 'Beat The Speaker', 'Coupe', and 'Merci Beaucoup', where we finally get that unique Pop Smoke, gritty- NY drill flow that was most anticipated. It's nice having 'Meri Beaucoup' as the final and outro song on the project, he smoothly delivers one of his strongest verses on the album over the Neptunes-produced beat. We hear the star speaking towards the end of the song in which he advices his fans to "Be in control of your own shit/ For your won creations", a stapling gem which has been reflected through Pop Smoke's music and angelic personality.

Rating: 6.5/10