Connect with us

News

People Are Annoyed at Virgil Abloh’s Cover for Pop Smoke’s Album

After the first images of Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album designed by Virgil Abloh began to circulate on the internet, fans have expressed their disappointment in the 39-year-old designer’s effort to immortalize Pop for his album cover.

Related: Snoop Dogg, and Others Mourn the Death of Bad Azz (Rapper)

On Monday (June 29), images of the Virgil’s artwork for Pop’s debut album titled Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon was shared by Abloh and Steven Victor, the head of the beloved rapper’s label Victor Victor Worldwide. However, after the image began to make its rounds online, many people on social media were displeased with the artwork for the deceased rapper’s upcoming LP. The album cover is a reimagined image based on a photo from when the Brooklyn native attended Paris Fashion Week earlier this year. The additional design for that Abloh added includes barbed wire, silver roses and puffs of smoke. The original photo can be found on Getty Images.

Virgil Abloh, who is also the artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s menswear, explained the origin of the design in an Instagram post. The fashion designer told fans how Pop had modeled his life in Canarsie, Brooklyn as a rose that grew from concrete.

“The last conversation I had with @realpopsmoke was about what we we were gonna to do in the future,” Virgil wrote on his social media account. “This album cover was one of like 5 things we talked about. He mentioned his story felt like the metaphor of a rose & thorns growing from concrete of of his hood in Canarsie, Brooklyn. In your memory, I just finished it yesterday. As evident of the whole idea, the t-shirt insinuates it’s mandatory we put an and to this cycle of violence that plagues us, we need to shoot for the moon & aim for the stars. As heavy as it is we are celebrating your life the whole way thru. ⁣⁣Rest in piece young one.”

Related: Drake Celebrates 33rd Birthday With Mobster Last Night In LA

Advertisement

One Twitter user referenced the meme stemming from when Virgil donated $50 to bail funds earlier this month and received backlash for not giving more, writing, “nigga didn’t even put virgil percent effort.”

Another fan compared the original Getty image to Virgil’s artwork, expressing how they thought the final draft was lazy.

“This is lazy. Pop Smoke deserves better,” the fan wrote on Twitter.

Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon is expected to drop July 3. The LP was initially slated to be released in early June, but his team halted the departure of the album and delivered “Make It Rain” featuring Rowdy Rebel instead.

Check out other reactions to Virgil Abloh’s Pop Smoke album cover below.

Advertisement

 

Source

Celebrity

Boosie Badazz Responds to Kewon White’s Claims About Dallas Shooting

Boosie Badazz is responding after Kewon White, the man recently convicted of killing Mo3, spoke about the 2020 shooting involving the Louisiana rapper and said he had multiple chances to kill him. Speaking from jail during an interview with Cam Capone News, White talked about his problems with Boosie’s behavior on a trip to Dallas after Mo3’s death. White told the rapper he shot at Boosie about 10 times but wasn’t trying to kill him. He claimed he had three opportunities to kill the rapper.

Boosie was shot in the leg in Dallas on November 14, 2020, days after Mo3 was killed and one day after Boosie attended a vigil for his late collaborator. Boosie has taken note of the new comments in part because White is currently appealing his murder conviction. Boosie also questioned why White would go public with information about the shooting while appealing his case.

In a reply on social media, Boosie wondered why White would do that, believing the jailhouse interviews might cause more problems for the convicted killer. He also objected to the decision to explore the particulars of Mo3’s death while trying to appeal the conviction. White was convicted this month of capital murder for shooting Mo3, whose real name was Melvin Noble, on a Dallas highway in 2020. White has filed a notice of appeal since.

Read More: DJ Vlad Challenges Boosie Badazz Over Federal Gun Case

So the timing of White’s comments has become a central part of Boosie’s reaction. Boosie didn’t address White’s allegations regarding the 2020 shooting but did ask why someone challenging a murder conviction would even talk about case details in public interviews.

Advertisement

The case has also included allegations against Yella Beezy. During White’s trial, prosecutors said Beezy paid White to kill Mo3. White has denied receiving any payment from Beezy, and Beezy has denied any involvement in the alleged murder plot.

White’s conviction and subsequent appeal have kept the case in the public conversation, and his recent jail interview added another chapter. His remarks on Boosie also address a violent period following Mo3’s death, during which Boosie traveled to Dallas and was shot. For Boosie, the problem is bigger than what happened in 2020. White’s choice to discuss the shooting while seeking an appeal has caused him to publicly question the strategy behind the interviews and the timing of the disclosures.

Continue Reading

Celebrity

DJ Vlad Challenges Boosie Badazz Over Federal Gun Case

DJ Vlad is taking his beef with Boosie Badazz to the next level, asking whether the rapper’s behavior in his federal gun case matches the anti snitching code he’s long imposed on others in hip hop.

In a new clip for VladTV, Vlad looked back at Boosie’s federal gun case and pointed to court documents he says show the rapper from Baton Rouge shifting blame onto his security guard. Vlad said the paperwork runs counter to Boosie’s long track record of publicly denouncing rappers he believes are snitching to authorities.

The latest row is another sign of an already frayed relationship. Boosie has been one of VladTV’s most frequent interview guests. Still, their relationship has soured over the years over issues involving interview payments, business dealings, and, most recently, Boosie’s push for a presidential pardon.

The pardon controversy has become a major part of the ongoing public beef between the rappers. Boosie reportedly paid $600,000 to two lobbyists, Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, to lobby President Donald Trump for a pardon in his federal gun case. When the pardon didn’t come through, Boosie accused them of misleading him and demanded $300,000 back. Burkman and Wohl have denied scamming Boosie, saying they were hired to advocate for him, not to promise a pardon.

Read More: Aubrey O’Day Reacts After Former Diddy Staffers Reportedly Join Usher’s Team

Advertisement

Boosie went on 60 Minutes to discuss the issue, which brought more attention to the situation. He later complained about how the interview was portrayed and released purported messages involving the lobbyists while defending himself against claims his actions were snitching.

Vlad is now using the controversy to call Boosie out on a principle that has been a major talking point in the rapper’s public commentary. Vlad mentioned Boosie’s situation as part of other past hip-hop discussions he’s had with Gunna, Young Thug, T.I., and Gucci Mane.

“The court documents for Boosie’s federal gun case are another point of contention for Vlad. His case hinges on whether the rapper’s alleged remarks about his security guard should be measured by the same yardstick Boosie has used to measure other artists. The charge is particularly noteworthy as Boosie has cultivated a strong public persona against what he considers snitching. With that history, the latest exchange with Vlad is more personal, adding to a complicated fallout between the two.

Continue Reading

Video Of The Week

Trending