Mood Swings

Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay: The Making and Meaning of "Mood Swings"

"Mood Swings" is a posthumous release by Brooklyn drill pioneer Pop Smoke, born Bashar Barakah Jackson on July 20, 1999, and killed on February 19, 2020, featuring New York rapper Lil Tjay. The track appeared on Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon, Pop Smoke's debut studio album, which was released on July 3, 2020, more than four months after his death. Assembled under the supervision of producer 50 Cent, who served as executive producer, and released through Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became one of the most commercially successful posthumous releases in recent hip-hop history.

Pop Smoke had established himself as the central figure of New York drill, a subgenre adapted from Chicago and London influences but transformed into something distinctly New York through his use of booming 808 bass frequencies, UK drill tempos, and a voice that was exceptionally deep and commanding for an artist in his early twenties. His mixtapes Meet the Woo and Meet the Woo 2, released in 2019 and early 2020, generated massive streaming numbers and industry attention, and his death came at precisely the moment when his commercial breakthrough was accelerating. The shock of his passing, combined with the evident quality of his recorded material, made Shoot for the Stars one of the most anticipated album releases of 2020.

"Mood Swings" pairs Pop Smoke's distinctive low-register delivery with the melodic, emotionally expressive approach of Lil Tjay, born Tione Jayden Merritt on April 30, 2001, in the Bronx. Lil Tjay had built his profile through a series of melodic rap tracks that emphasized singing-style hooks and emotional themes, making him a natural complement to Pop Smoke's more imposing presence. The contrast between the two voices is one of the track's defining qualities, with Pop Smoke's baritone grounding the song while Lil Tjay's higher, more melodically agile delivery provides emotional lift and textural variety.

The production of "Mood Swings" was handled by 808Melo, a London-based producer of Cameroonian descent who had been a key collaborator in the development of UK drill and had worked closely with Pop Smoke during his lifetime. 808Melo's production style, characterized by dark melodic loops built around minor-key keyboard samples or synthesizer lines layered over aggressive 808 percussion, was central to defining the sonic identity of Pop Smoke's catalog. On "Mood Swings," this approach is deployed with particular effectiveness, creating an atmospheric track that suits both artists' contributions.

The song became one of the most streamed tracks from the album and registered on the Billboard Hot 100, contributing to the album's remarkable commercial performance. Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon generated multiple charting singles and demonstrated that Pop Smoke's fanbase, which had been growing rapidly through the final months of his life, remained intensely engaged with his music after his death. The album's chart run was among the longest for a hip-hop release that year, sustained by consistent streaming activity and the emotional weight that listeners attached to the material.

50 Cent's curatorial role in assembling the album attracted some controversy, as posthumous releases always invite scrutiny about how closely the final product reflects the artist's own intentions. The executive producer was open about the collaborative nature of the assembly process and the effort made to present Pop Smoke's work in the most commercially and artistically compelling form available. Whether the specific sequencing and additional production choices reflected exactly what Pop Smoke would have done himself is unknowable, but the commercial and critical reception suggested that the final product resonated strongly with his audience.

Lil Tjay's appearance on "Mood Swings" added a layer of New York solidarity to the record, connecting two artists who represented the breadth of New York rap in the streaming era. Pop Smoke's drill-rooted style and Lil Tjay's more melodic approach are different enough that their combination on a single track required genuine craft, and the song's production creates enough space for both to operate without crowding. The result is one of the more emotionally engaging tracks on an album that could sometimes prioritize atmosphere over narrative.

Pop Smoke had been signed to Victor Victor Worldwide, a Universal Music Group imprint, and his untimely death created both grief and significant commercial decisions for the label regarding how to handle a catalog that was already generating enormous revenue. The respectful but commercially aggressive approach taken with Shoot for the Stars reflected industry norms around posthumous releases while the genuine quality of Pop Smoke's material made it easier to defend those decisions on artistic grounds. "Mood Swings" is among the tracks that best justify that assessment, offering something that feels genuinely complete rather than assembled from fragments.

The cultural impact of Pop Smoke's death and the subsequent success of his posthumous album were significant markers in the ongoing story of New York rap's resurgence in the late 2010s and early 2020s. After years in which Atlanta dominated hip-hop's commercial landscape, New York drill represented a credible challenge to that hegemony, and Pop Smoke was its most compelling avatar. "Mood Swings" and the album that contained it ensured that his contribution to that story would be remembered with the specificity of actual chart numbers and streaming figures rather than as a talent tragically cut short before his commercial moment arrived, because the commercial moment, it turned out, had already arrived.