Previously the frontrunner of the Brooklyn drill scene, Pop Smoke met an untimely death last February when he was gunned down in the rental home in Los Angeles he was staying at. As the world continues to mourn the late rapper, his parents are working hard to make sure other families do not have to lose their loved ones the same way they did. The "Dior" rapper's parents have partnered with the Entertainers 4 Education Alliance/I WILL GRADUATE program to warn youth about the dangers of gun violence.
In 2020 alone, there were more than 1,000 shootings and nearly 300 murders in New York City. Aubrey and Greg Jackson, the parents of the late Canarsie rapper, are now committed to helping stop the tragedies after Pop's murder and have just unleashed an anti-gun violence PSA to help spread the message.
“Because of gun violence, I’ll never see my son run up the front of our steps, taking them two at a time,” Mrs. Jackson says in the video, which also features the Borough President of Brooklyn Eric Adams. “He won’t ever take my hands again and dance with me. He won’t come into my room and muscle pose in the mirror. Gun violence destroys families. It must stop.”
In a statement made by Entertainers 4 Education Alliance/I WILL GRADUATE Tonya Lewis Taylor, she explained why connecting with the rapper's parents was essential. “We needed to get our youth’s attention fast and saw Pop Smoke’s polarizing music, life and death as a catalyst for positive change,” Taylor said.
“We reached out to his parents who wanted to honor their son’s legacy by participating in the video. We want the youth to considerably weigh the cost of their actions. There is no going back after that trigger is pulled. One moment of anger creates a lifetime of pain and anguish for the loved ones left behind."
Earlier this week, the trailer for Pop Smoke's film debut in "Boogie" was released. The film will formally debut on March 5, 2021. Check out the trailer for the new film above.