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Warner Chappell Music has signed a co-publishing deal with the estate of the late rapper Pop Smoke, who died in a burglary in Los Angeles in February. His debut album is set to be released posthumously this summer by Victor Victor Worldwide, the company run by Universal Music Group senior A&R executive Steven Victor.
The global agreement includes all works by the Brooklyn-born artist, who broke out in 2019 with the gold-certified single “Welcome to the Party.” In February 2020, Pop released his second mixtape, “Meet the Woo 2,” which spawned the platinum-certified streaming hit “Dior.”
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“Pop meant so much to so many people around the world,” said Ryan Press, Warner Chappell’s President of A&R, USA, in announcing the deal. “At a young age, he became the prominent new voice of the New York rap scene and helped bring it back to the forefront. Pop was deeply connected to the culture and well on his way to becoming one of the best artists of his generation. I had the honor of meeting him and I am personally committed to doing everything I can to support the Jackson family and Steven Victor in keeping Pop’s legacy alive. Warner Chappell is very proud to continue sharing Pop’s music with the world.”
Pop Smoke’s estate added: “We are very pleased and proud to entrust Ryan Press and the rest of the Warner Chappell team with the protection and enhancement of Pop Smoke’s music. Our new alliance with the company and its tremendous global resources will greatly support the family’s efforts to preserve Pop Smoke’s legacy and musical influence with his fans and the world.”
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