Make It Rain (Pop Smoke song)

"Make It Rain" is a song by American rapper Pop Smoke, released on June 12, 2020, as the lead single from his posthumous debut studio album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, released on July 3, 2020. The song features vocals from rapper Rowdy Rebel, whose verse was recorded over a phone, as he was in jail at the time.

"Make It Rain"
Single by Pop Smoke featuring Rowdy Rebel
from the album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
ReleasedJune 12, 2020
GenreDrill
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Yamaica
Pop Smoke singles chronology
"50k"
(2020)		 "Make It Rain"
(2020)		 "The Woo"
(2020)
Rowdy Rebel singles chronology
"Till I Die"
(2019)		 "Make It Rain"
(2020)

Background

The song marks Pop Smoke's first release as a lead artist following his death in February 2020. The track was first announced a day before its release, on June 11, 2020, by Pop Smoke's manager, Steven Victor, who announced the delay of Smoke's debut album and instead released "Make It Rain" as the lead single on the day the album was originally scheduled for release.[1] Victor stated that out of respect for the George Floyd protests, "we have decided to delay the release of his album out of respect for the movement".[2] Victor also helped launch the Victor Victor Foundation, a non-profit organization which works to support Black youths through voter registration efforts and aid programs focused on mentorship and emotional support.[3] The announcement of the song teased a mystery feature[1] on the track, which eventually turned out to be Rowdy Rebel, a member of Bobby Shmurda's GS9 crew.[4] Rebel has been incarcerated since 2014, when New York police rounded the whole SG group up and charged them with gang-related crimes.[4] Hence, Rebel's verse was recorded telephonically.[3]

Composition

"Make It Rain" was produced by Yamaica, Rico Beats and frequent Pop Smoke collaborater 808Melo.[3] The song delivers Pop Smoke's signature drill style.[4] Soundigest's Luke Wells noted that the song "sticks to his [Pop Smoke] foundational roots of jaunty hip-hop with an infectious, hammering beat underscored by deep, booming vocals. His voice is idiosyncratic — distinct to the point of unmistakability".[5]

Critical reception

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard listed "Make it Rain" as one of the most essential releases of the week, calling it "classic Pop Smoke, with a wall-shattering beat and enough chest-thumping lyrics to ensure that the rapper's gravelly voice never loses your attention. Lipshutz opined that "listening to the song in the greater context of a career cut way too short makes for a jarring experience, yet 'Make It Rain' also captures Pop Smoke at his most triumphant, and it's a fitting pose".[6] Tom Breihan of Stereogum praised the track as "a monstrous drill track that does not feel like a half-finished leftover" and further found it to be "a real bittersweet pleasure to hear Pop's tremendous gruff voice-of-God flow once again".[4] Luke Wells of Soundigest had a similar sentiment, saying "It's commonplace for posthumous releases to mark a decline in quality, but such is not the case with 'Make It Rain'".[5] Pitchfork's Sheldon Pearce commended the song, writing: "Posthumous releases often bring diminishing returns, but here Pop Smoke retains the intensity that made him great". Pearce labelled Rowdy Rebel's verse as "defiant and uncaged", further pointing out Pop Smoke's distinctness: "What really separated Pop Smoke from other local drill rappers is that thundering voice; its thick husk still feels coarse, severe, and unavoidable. The pounding Yamaica production quakes beneath him, as all the most menacing drill beats do, but his rhymes cut through commotion. He raps like he's unstoppable, and he sounds like it too".[7] In a 4/5-star review, The Musical Hype complimented the "banging production" by Yamaica, stating "the synths are hellish, while the beat anchors things down superbly" and applauded Pop Smoke for being "tough AF. His rhymes are hard-nosed and unapologetic", while admmitting that although Rowdy Rebel's verse lacks quality due to it being recorded over a phone, he still sounds "rowdy".[8] Earmilk's Nathan Whittle-Olivieri was particularly fond of the song's production: " the spectral, barebones instrumental allows the vocals to shine in hook after hook ripe with abrasion and personality. Dutch beatmaker and producer Yamaica lets twinkling synth leads bubble beneath blown-out bass in what feels like a fully idealized track completed before Smoke's passing".[9]

Music video

A 3-D-style video was released alongside the song.[3]

Charts
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 73
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 35
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[12] 11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[13] 73
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 49
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] 21
US Rolling Stone Top 100[16] 23
gollark: What do you mean "infinite overtones"? I don't think that's how sine waves work.
gollark: In older swarms their internal networks would mess it up, but any remotely modern one uses EM.
gollark: If they're that small.
gollark: As such, you are not hearing individual ones; probably, your head disrupts any nearby antinodality™ lots anyway.
gollark: So 160 times more antinodes would make them VERY close together.

References
  1. Espinoza, Joshua (June 12, 2020). "Stream Pop Smoke's Posthumous Track "Make It Rain" f/ Rowdy Rebel". Complex. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. Steven Victor (June 11, 2020). "Steven Victor on IG". Retrieved June 22, 2020 – via Instagram.
  3. Li, Nicholas (June 12, 2020). "Pop Smoke's Memory Lives on With Posthumous "Make It Rain" Track and Video". Hypebeast. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  4. Breihan, Tom (June 12, 2020). "Pop Smoke – "Make It Rain" (Feat. Rowdy Rebel)". Stereogum. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  5. Wells, Luke (June 17, 2020). ""Make It Rain" Inaugurates Pop Smoke's Posthumous Legacy". Soundigest. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  6. Lipshutz, Jason (June 12, 2020). "First Stream: New Music From Lil Baby, 6ix9ine & Nicki Minaj, Chloe x Halle & More". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  7. Pearce, Sheldon (June 12, 2020). ""Make It Rain" [ft. Rowdy Rebel] by Pop Smoke Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  8. "Pop Smoke, "Make It Rain" (Ft. Rowdy Rebel) Track Review". The Musical Hype. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  9. Whittle-Olivieri, Nathan (June 18, 2020). "Nathan Whittle-Olivieri". Earmilk. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  10. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 13 July 2020". No. 1584. Australian Recording Industry Association. July 13, 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  11. "Pop Smoke Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  12. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  14. "Pop Smoke Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  15. "Pop Smoke Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  16. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
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