The family of Pop Smoke, aka Bashar Jackson, have detailed the Shoot for the Stars foundation set up by the rapper before his passing.
The foundation will be led by Jackson’s mother and aims to provide technology and other means to “help urban youth everywhere turn their pain into champagne”.
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“As [Bashar] traveled around the city, he realized that the technology he had access to during his school years was not the norm for urban schools,” Pop Smoke’s mother Ms. Jackson said.
“It was great fun brainstorming and planning [Shoot for the Stars] with him. I am looking forward to working with the team he put together before he was so tragically taken from us.”
The foundation’s name mirrors that of Pop Smoke’s forthcoming posthumous debut album, ‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon’, the release of which has just been delayed to July 3. The planned June 12 release was scrapped out of respect for the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd.
The head of Jackson’s label Victor Victor, Steven Victor, said the new charity was “only the beginning”.
“He strived to inspire youth and would have loved to see people playing his music and dancing in the streets while they marched in the fight for equality and justice,” he said.
“The hope he carried for the next generation will live on through Shoot for the Stars. It was something that was very important to him and we’re honored to continue his legacy.”
Pop Smoke’s latest posthumous single ‘Make It Rain’ featuring Rowdy Rebel was released this month. His final mixtape ‘Meet the Woo 2’ was released earlier this year.
The ‘Dior’ rapper was shot and killed at his home in Los Angeles, California on February 19. The police described the murder as a “targeted” hit.
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