50 Cent Wants Fans to Vote for Pop Smoke’s Alternative Album Cover
Fans are demanding a new album cover for Pop Smoke following the backlash from Virgil Abloh’s design.
Rapper 50 cent has fans voting for the alternative album cover after it received backlash on social media.
Earlier this week, Off-White and Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh created and released the cover art for Pop Smoke’s debut album “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,” in memory of his passing back in February. In a now-deleted post, Abloh wrote “the last conversation i had with @realpopsmoke was about what we were gonna do in the future. this album cover was one of like 5 things we talked about. he mentioned his story felt like the metaphor of a rose & thorns growing from concrete of his hood in Canarsie, Brooklyn. in your memory i just finished it yesterday. as evident of the whole idea, the t-shirt insinuates its mandatory we put an end to this cycle of violence that plagues us, we need to shoot for the moon and aim for the stars.”
Abloh also wrote in a since-deleted tweet, “Every rose has its thorns, even the one from the concrete in Canarsie.”
Shortly after the Abloh’s release, fans of Pop Smoke shared their thoughts on the cover, stating their disapproval for the art. Some people shared that the design was lazy and didn’t commemorate Pop Smoke’s legacy as an artist at all. The album cover has since been removed.
Virgil put zero effort into that album cover. He literally used the first photo that comes up when you search Pop Smoke’s name on Google. pic.twitter.com/pe9egHcjQj
— NUFF (@nuffsaidny) June 29, 2020
Pop Smoke in heaven looking at the rubbish art cover Virgil Abloh made for his album. pic.twitter.com/WazsUEhSEJ
— c (@chuuzus) June 29, 2020
i’m getting annoyed. mac’s posthumous album was handled so beautifully. pop deserves better. this is all a mess
— 49 (@ajahnidhana) June 30, 2020
Virgil put zero effort into that album cover. He literally used the first photo that comes up when you search Pop Smoke’s name on Google. pic.twitter.com/pe9egHcjQj
— NUFF (@nuffsaidny) June 29, 2020
On Tuesday, 50 Cent agreed with fans about the cover, tweeting “Hey Virgil we need new album art, they ain’t going for this bullshit. Love ya work let’s get to it. Steven i told you this shit was eww let’s get it right!”
Hey Virgil we need new album art, they ain’t going for this bullshit. Love ya work let’s get to it. ?Steven i told you this shit was ?eww let’s get it right! #bransoncognac #lecheminduroi pic.twitter.com/mE24CtErto
— 50cent (@50cent) June 30, 2020
The rapper then shared 35 fan-submitted cover alternatives on Instagram, asking followers and fans to vote in the comments on a scale from one to 10 to find the best image based on the rankings. The fan-made covers currently have hundreds of thousands of likes, with some of the top choices linked below.
Since the release of Virgil Abloh’s cover art, there has since been controversy around stolen ideas and disrespecting Pop Smoke’s legacy. Steven Victor, Pop Smoke’s manager, tweeted “MAKING A CHANGE. B R B. H E A R D Y O U. POP WOULD LISTEN TO HIS FANS!” Victor also wrote on Instagram, “As pop’s label & as his friends/family, it is our obligation to bring his vision to life,” he said. “he wanted virgil to lead creative, we fulfilled his wishes however, unfortunately, he’s not here to give his final approval his fans, are. You know why you love pop your voices are loud and clear he loved his fans and listened to his fans.”
POP WOULD LISTEN TO HIS FANS ❗️
— Steven-San Victor (@StevenVictor) June 30, 2020
Despite the controversy, the album is still expected to release this Friday, July 3rd, 2020.