The Real Meaning Behind For The Night By Pop Smoke

Pop Smoke was tragically murdered in early 2020, which was also the year his music experienced a meteoric rise, TMZ reported. His Meet The Woo 2 mixtape was released in February 2020, and sadly, he was killed shortly after its release, which was met with critical acclaim. The 20-year-old rapper was destined for stardom, and hip-hop icon 50 Cent stepped in as executive producer on his unfinished studio album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.

As a testament to his star power, the young Brooklynite has continued to amass various accolades posthumously. He was named SoundCloud's Top Artist for 2020. "The rising Brooklyn drill star was beloved by the SoundCloud community and they continue to show it," the streaming service said in a statement via HipHopDX. His track "Dior," which was previously released on another project, but featured as a bonus track on his studio debut, earned recognition from the Grammys. Another hit song from the album that received accolades was "For The Night," which featured guest verses from Lil Baby and Da Baby.

In December 2020, the tune earned the number one spot on Billboard's Rhythmic Songs chart. According to Billboard, Shoot for the Stars received the most airplay of any Hip Hop/R&B project in nearly 10 years, and "For The Night" is the first track to nab the number one slot on the Rhythmic Songs chart. So what do the tune's lyrics mean?

Pop Smoke's track received two major guest features from Lil Baby and Da Baby. The song's title is a reference to the rappers only wanting companionship "For The Night" and not long-term. In the chorus, the drill rapper is explicitly commitment-phobic as he sings, "You bae for the day, or bae for the night, you not my wife." The message of the hit single could be especially problematic for Lil Baby, as the My Turn artist has been haunted by rumors of infidelity for years during his well-publicized relationship with Jayda Cheaves.

In a July 2020 interview with Billboard, the Atlanta-born rapper revealed how important he thought it was to be on the song. "It was just a pleasure just to even be part of that, to be a part of something so special for somebody who lost their life behind this," he said. At one point in the chorus, Lil Baby describes his late-night escapades "like a thief in the night." This allusion to thieves possibly has an ominous connotation, as Pop Smoke was killed in the early hours of February 19, 2020, by assailants who were initially believed to have been trying to rob him, the New York Daily News reported. Later that year, as per The Los Angeles Times, four people were charged with robbing and murdering the 20-year-old artist that night.

Pop Smoke is no longer with us, but his music continues to live on.