Photo: Getty Images/Interval Presents
The original cover of Pop Smoke's first posthumous album had some fans in an uproar before it dropped three years ago. Now, the late rapper's manager is defending the artwork.
On Thursday, June 29, the Rap Radar's Elliott Wilson and Brian "B. Dot" Miller released the newest episode featuring Steven Victor. The CEO of Victor Victor Worldwide, who managed Pop prior to his death in 2020, discussed the backlash that stemmed from the late Virgil Abloh's design of the original cover for Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. According to Victor, Pop had always trusted Virgil's vision especially after they worked on the video for "Shake The Room" together.
"I feel like that was bulls**t," Victor explained. "Because, at the end of the day, people don't know. People sit back and they think they know, but they don't know s**t. They like 'Oh this is not what Pop would like.' I'm 'F**k you talkin' about?'"
Following the backlash, Pop Smoke's Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon dropped on July 3, 2020 with a different album cover. It contains hits like "For The Night" featuring Lil Baby & DaBaby, "The Woo" with Roddy Ricch & 50 Cent along with a slew of collaborations with Quavo, Swae Lee, Future, Lil Tjay, Karol G, Tyga, King Combs and more.
During the interview, Victor also touches on other topics including Pusha T's legacy, his work with boxer Gervonta "Tank" Davis, his new restaurant venture with designer NIGO and more. Check out a few clips via Interval Presents below and catch the entire episode above.