Lil Tjay has shared a tribute track for his good friend and fellow East Coast rapper Pop Smoke, who was killed Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The song, titled "Forever Pop," finds Tjay struggling to wrap his head around the tragic news, while vowing to make sure Pop Smoke's legacy lives on. Tjay also recalls the moment he learned about his friend's untimely death and the ways it immediately changed his perspective on life.
He raps:
Took you out your glory, who wanna see you lose?
Woke up in the mornin', see my nigga on the news
And I'm still like "Damn," tryna put together screws ...
Said a lot, but still it feel like I ain't even speak yet
Tryna hit a pocket that I still ain't even reach yet
But I still can't comprehend this shit, it hit me in the heart
"Forever Pop" samples the Pop Smoke track "Like Me," which appeared on the newly released deluxe version of Meet the Woo 2. The song concludes with a clip of Pop Smoke's spoken-word performance on The Angie Martinez Show earlier this month.
"I'ma say, give like a message to my young n***as, you feel me. Like n***as like us, coming where we come from, we can't afford to fuck up," Pop Smoke said. "We can't afford to slip up, make no mistakes, you heard? 'Cause, they watchin', and they want us to. You know what I'm sayin'? We got all odds against us."
You can listen to "Forever Pop" via YouTube above.
Tjay—who collaborated with Pop Smoke on songs like "Mary Jane" and "War"—was among the many artists who have shared tribute messages for the late rapper: "... FUCK WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE TALKING BOUT," Tjay captioned a photo of him and Pop Smoke. "IM RAISING HELL OVER YOU FOREVER 🤞🏽🙏🏽 REST EAZY CUZ."
Pop Smoke—legal name is Bashar Barakah Jackson—was fatally shot at around 4:30 a.m. PT in a Hollywood Hills house he was staying at. Police told the Los Angeles Times that surveillance cameras captured four suspects as well as a getaway car; however, they have yet to make any arrests or a motive.
"I am not comfortable calling it a robbery right now," Robbery Homicide Division Capt. Jonathan Tippet told the Times. "There is a lot of information available. We have some work to do."
