Dior

How "Dior" Became Pop Smoke's Signature Record and a Posthumous Billboard Landmark

"Dior" was recorded by Pop Smoke (born Bashar Barakah Jackson) in 2019 and released as a single through Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records. The song became the defining track of Pop Smoke's brief recording career, introducing his distinctive bass-heavy Brooklyn drill sound to a rapidly expanding audience and establishing the sonic template that would make him one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his generation. Its commercial trajectory was transformed by Pop Smoke's murder in February 2020, which converted a rising hit into an enduring tribute that continued to accumulate chart activity and streaming numbers for years after his death.

"Dior" reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the weeks following Pop Smoke's death, a posthumous surge driven by fan mourning and widespread media coverage of the circumstances of his killing. The song had already been climbing the chart based on organic streaming momentum before his death; afterward it surged to its peak position and remained in chart contention for a total of over 20 weeks, an extraordinary performance for a track that had originally circulated primarily through Brooklyn and New York hip-hop channels before breaking nationally. The posthumous chart run paralleled similar phenomena seen with other artists whose deaths occurred while their careers were ascending.

The production on "Dior" was created by 808Melo, a British producer of Ghanaian descent who had been central to the development of the UK drill sound before pivoting to American collaborators. The track's instrumental features a dark, minor-key piano loop over heavy 808 bass and a militant drum pattern that was drawn directly from the British and Chicago drill traditions that Pop Smoke had absorbed and translated into his own distinctly New York register. The sound was recognizably Brooklyn: harder and more direct than Chicago drill, with less melodic ornamentation than many of the melodic trap productions dominating hip-hop at the time.

Pop Smoke's vocal delivery on "Dior" was unlike anything prominent on American radio at the time. His voice was a deep, authoritative baritone that he used with a cadenced, almost chanted delivery, more rhythmic than melodic but insistently propulsive. The contrast between his low register and the sharp, trebly production created a sonic tension that felt viscerally exciting. He had absorbed stylistic elements from Brooklyn predecessors and contemporaries while developing something genuinely original, a sound that critics described as a New York drill revival rooted in the borough's specific street culture and sonic history.

The song was originally featured on Pop Smoke's debut mixtape "Meet the Woo," released in July 2019, before being promoted as a standalone single. The mixtape was released through Victor Victor Worldwide, the label run by Steven Victor, who had also worked with artists including Post Malone and Pusha T. Victor recognized Pop Smoke's potential early and worked to position him for a mainstream breakthrough. "Dior" became the vehicle for that breakthrough, accumulating radio spins and streaming plays at a rate that indicated genuine mass-market appeal beyond the core drill and New York hip-hop audience.

Pop Smoke was shot and killed during a home invasion in the Hollywood Hills on February 19, 2020, at the age of 20. He had relocated temporarily to Los Angeles as his profile rose, and the circumstances of his death, including the public disclosure of his location through social media posts made shortly before the attack, generated significant media discussion about celebrity safety and social media behavior. His death shocked the hip-hop community and his international fanbase, generating an outpouring of tributes from artists across the genre spectrum.

The posthumous album "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon," released in July 2020 and executive produced by 50 Cent, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and revived commercial interest in his entire catalog, including "Dior." 50 Cent had taken a mentorship role with Pop Smoke in the final months of his life, and the album's production, which involved contributions from producers including 808Melo, Rico Beats, and others, was designed to showcase the full range of what Pop Smoke had been capable of. The album's success confirmed that his appeal was not merely a product of posthumous sympathy but of genuine artistic substance.

"Dior" also had a significant impact on fashion culture. The song's invocation of the French luxury brand resonated with a hip-hop audience for whom Dior had become a meaningful status signifier, and the track contributed to a broader conversation about the relationship between high fashion and hip-hop that intensified through the early 2020s. Pop Smoke's personal style, which combined luxury labels with Brooklyn street aesthetic, became enormously influential posthumously, with fashion publications and stylists citing his look as a touchstone for the merger of streetwear and couture that defined early-2020s fashion.