Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon

The first posthumous album from Brooklyn rapper and drill pioneer Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon expands the rapper's legacy with an expansive set of anthems. With a more varied feature list than ever before -- including 50 Cent, Quavo, Roddy Ricch, and DaBaby -- the album is perhaps Smoke's most diverse offering to date, providing ballads, throwback rap, and radio-ready trap, alongside his iconic drill sonics. Within these, some refreshing directions arrive: "Gangstas" is a superb cut reminiscent of prime 50 Cent, while "Got It on Me" finally provides Smoke's fans a high-quality version of the leaked "Many Men." Yet it is still in drill that the rapper shines most brightly. He sounds vivid and resonant on cuts like "Make It Rain," "Tunnel Vision," and "Aim for the Moon," bringing his signature charisma and booming tone to the genre. Yet "44 Bulldog," borrowing its beat from Rack5's "Giddy," proves the true highlight of the lot, ranking firmly among the rapper's best. The album saw release on Universal in July of 2020.