Music
Pop Smoke Receives A Posthumous Grammy Award Nomination For ‘Dior’
Getty Image ‘Dior’ became an unofficial protest anthem and appeared in some unlikely places in the wake of Pop Smoke’s death. …
Although he was no longer around to campaign on his own behalf, late Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke was able to secure a posthumous 2021 Grammy Award nomination for his summer single “Dior.” Pop Smoke was killed in February of this year during a home invasion as he rode the success of his summer 2019 hit “Welcome To The Party” and prepared for the release of his debut album. That album, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, was released posthumously and contained “Dior” as a bonus track, although the song had previously served as the single for Pop Smoke’s mixtape Meet the Woo 2 after originally appearing on the tape’s predecessor six months before.
The song oddly became an unofficial protest anthem, despite not addressing police brutality or racism, as protestors played the song during demonstrations in Seattle and New York City. It also appears on the soundtrack of the recently released NBA 2K21. The beat was used during the 2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher.
In the wake of his death, Pop Smoke became an icon around which the burgeoning New York drill scene began to rally, as the gruff-voiced 20-year-old’s last few recorded verses turned into a hot commodity for clout-seeking majors. Young Thug and Pusha T exchanged heated words over a song both appeared on after Pusha used his verse to continue dissing Drake, while Pop’s final verses appeared on projects from the likes of Nav, French Montana, and more.
Artist Spotlight
Lisa Boostani creates a mesmerizing tidal realm in “Ocean”
Lisa Boostani’s “Ocean” takes you deep into a sensory world where body, spirit, and myth come together, beyond the surface of genre. Boostani makes a soundscape that is both ethereal and deeply human by combining the broad essence of psychedelic pop with the strong appeal of alternative rock.
Her voice rises as if it is coming from deep within her, shaped by emotion rather than action. She intentionally channels the intangible, turning weakness into strength rather than a source of pain, and “Ocean” tells people to get involved in this inner world, not just watch it. This release is an integral part of her first EP, “One,” which will come out in March 2026 and is based on love, sensuality, and unity.
If “Ocean” is any indication, the EP will show sensuality not as something pretty, but as a kind of spiritual intelligence, a way to know yourself by connecting with others. The song’s textures and structure have an aquatic quality, moving between clarity and delirium, rhythm and freedom. Its emotional focus is on immersion instead of resolution.
The striking quality of “Ocean” is the blend of the mystical worlds. Boostani understands that strength often shows up as gentleness and that deep feelings are better expressed through frequencies than words. She wants people to see consciousness as immediacy, sensation as truth, and openness as an undeniable strength.
Artist Spotlight
NOAH. captures the unspoken signals in enchanting R&B track “That’s Bless”
“That’s Bless” captures the unspoken late-night message, the smile that was exchanged from afar, and the feeling you sense but are afraid to say. NOAH. offers a song with a smoky R&B feel and lyrics that capture unspoken tension, firmly in the realm of emotional ambiguity, where connection is clear but not defined.
This piece concerns the subtle discomfort of mixed signals and quiet longings, when looks say more than words ever could. NOAH. handles the theme with restraint, letting the chemistry simmer rather than explode. NOAH.’s delivery shows a confident gentleness, recognizing that some feelings don’t need strict definitions to be real.
In “That’s Bless,” he captures the essence of connection and the compelling allure that endures, even when both parties pretend it is not there. The composition is based on real-life events, and it acknowledges that specific attachments endure in the heart long after one has persuaded oneself of having progressed.
“That’s Bless” is at the crossroads of closeness and distance, clarity and confusion. The song doesn’t resolve the tension it talks about, and that’s what makes it so powerful. It sums up the connection we say we don’t want but keep coming back to in memory, rhythm, and pulse.
Connect with NOAH. on Instagram
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