Pop Smoke Brought It Back To His Stomping Grounds On "44 Bulldog"

Pop Smoke refined the drill sound that he introduced on "44 Bulldog."

BYAron A.Jul 05, 20204.2K Views

The long-awaited release of Pop Smoke's debut album arrived on Friday. A bittersweet moment, it's evident that he would've been an absolute star if he were here to celebrate the release of Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. His sound was becoming more refined, as were his gruff vocals. His debut album is packed with anthems including from collaborations with Quavo (3x) to the 50 Cent & Roddy Ricch collab "The Woo." Standing alongside both his peers, like Roddy and elder statesmen like Fif, was only confirmation that he was an essential voice ushering in a new generation of rap.

Though the project is stacked with more features than he ever had on the first two Meet The Woo tapes, some of his most fulfilling moments were on solo cuts. "44 Bulldog" arrives 4th on the tracklist; following big collabs with Quavo, Lil Baby, and DaBaby. The drill sound is refined with a minimalistic tone true to conventional New York City's production style. Just as he was peaking into stardom, "44 Bulldog" captures the paranoia and anxiety of a budding star slowly removing himself from his own ways. He scatters in references from Meet The Woo 2's "Get Back" throughout over the bleak production of MoraBeats and MobBeats.

What's your favorite track on the new Pop Smoke album?

Quotable Lyrics
Brodie got locked for the hammer
Free Rock, get off the island
'09 to the Glock like dem wayz
And I keep a chop like sensei
N***as move hot, I ain't say nothin'
'Cause I'ma lay low 'til that day com3

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About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.