Pop Smoke‘s parents have partnered with the Entertainers 4 Education Alliance/I WILL GRADUATE program to warn the youth about gun violence.
In 2020, there were over 1,000 shootings and almost 300 murders in Pop’s hometown of the Big Apple. The late rapper himself was a victim of gun violence just under one year ago when he wad shot and killed in the Hollywood Hills, and now Audrey and Greg Jackson are committed to helping prevent more tragedies with a new PSA.
“Because of gun violence, I’ll never see my son run up the front of our steps, taking them two at a time,” Mrs. Jackson says in the clip, which also features Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “He won’t ever take my hands again and dance with me. He won’t come into my room and muscle pose in the mirror. Gun violence destroys families. It must stop.”
In a statement, Entertainers 4 Education Alliance/I WILL GRADUATE founder Tonya Lewis Taylor explained why she wanted to partner with the late rap star’s family for the important message.
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“We needed to get our youth’s attention fast and saw Pop Smoke’s polarizing music, life and death as a catalyst for positive change,” Taylor said. “We reached out to his parents who wanted to honor their son’s legacy by participating in the video. We want the youth to considerably weigh the cost of their actions. There is no going back after that trigger is pulled. One moment of anger creates a lifetime of pain and anguish for the loved ones left behind”.
Watch the PSA below and stream “Hello” which as of press time, is currently atop Spotify’s RapCaviar playlist.
