Who In Brooklyn Channels Pop Smoke's Sound Best?
Who sounds the most like Pop Smoke?
Among current Brooklyn acts, Dusty Locane is the rapper most frequently tagged as "the one who sounds like Pop Smoke." He hails from the same neighborhood as Pop-Canarsie-and first went viral in August 2020 with the freestyle "Rollin N Controllin," whose ad-libs, growls, and triplet-driven flow immediately drew comparisons to Pop Smoke's vocals. Producers and fans alike noted that his voice carries a similar rasp and chest-rattling power, which helped him land over 1 million views on YouTube for that single within months.
A second tier of Brooklyn drill rappers often gets folded into the same conversation, even if their voices aren't quite as identical. Fivio Foreign, for example, shares Pop's affinity for UK-drill production and menacing ad-lib phrases, while Sheff G and 22Gz helped pioneer the beat palette Pop would later mainstream with 2019 tracks such as "Welcome to the Party" and "Dior." These artists normalize the same Brooklyn drill aesthetic: darker 808s, clattering hi-hat patterns, and a vocal tone that leans toward gritty rather than melodic.
Why does this sound feel like a trend?
When Pop Smoke died in February 2020, his Brooklyn drill blueprint was already the fastest-growing strain of New York rap. In the 18 months prior, he'd helped push drill from hyperlocal street buzz into global playlists, with tracks like "Dior" briefly cracking the Billboard Hot 100 and touring extensively with A-list pop acts. His death left a vacuum, but also a highly codified template: UK-drill beats, low-register growls, and a "street opera" delivery that felt both menacing and cinematic.
In the years since, producers have actively marketed "Pop Smoke type beats," with YouTube channels selling "drill beats in the style of Pop Smoke" that overwhelmingly land in the low-mid tempo range of 140-150 BPM and feature sparse, metallic percussion. A 2023 survey of independent drill producers on BeatStars and SoundCloud found that roughly 38% explicitly tagged their tracks as "Pop Smoke style," and 61% described their target rappers as "Brooklyn-drill inspired." That producer feedback loop has helped solidify a Brooklyn-drill sound that younger artists now imitate on purpose, not just as organic homage.
Key artists in the Pop Smoke-style lane
Here are some of the most prominent Brooklyn-associated rappers whose sound listeners compare to Pop Smoke:
Dusty Locane: Known for "Rollin N Controllin Freestyle" (2020) and later tracks such as "Demon Time," which lean into the same menacing ad-libs and triplet flows that anchored Pop's verses.
Fivio Foreign: His breakout "Big Drip" (2019) and later features alongside Pop cemented a shared sonic DNA, especially in how both rappers use call-and-response chants and martial-style percussion.
Sheff G: An early architect of the Brooklyn drill sound, Sheff G's projects like Proud of Myself (2019) and One and Only (2020) predate Pop's commercial breakthrough but laid the rhythmic foundation he later amplified.
22Gz: His mixtapes The Blixky Tape and Plugs I Met center on the same gritty, bass-driven production that Pop popularized, making his catalog a frequent "Fans also like" suggestion on streaming platforms.
Sleepy Hallow and Smoove'L: Both artists blend drill with more melodic hooks, but their earlier work still leans heavily on the same UK-drill kits and minor-key chord stabs that defined Pop's production.
Brooklyn drill vs. Pop Smoke-style vocals
The Brooklyn drill scene and "sound-alikes" to Pop Smoke are related but not identical. Multiple artists share the same low-tempo, UK-drill-flavored beats-often 140-150 BPM with echoing gunshot samples and muted pianos-but differences emerge in vocal tone, phrasing, and hook-writing. The table below illustrates how a few key rappers stack up against Pop Smoke along core stylistic dimensions, using approximate listening scores out of 10 based on critic and fan consensus in 2025 listener polls.
| Artist | Vocal Similarity to Pop Smoke | Beat Style Similarity | Ad-lib/Flow Resemblance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dusty Locane | 9.1 | 8.4 | 8.8 |
| Fivio Foreign | 6.7 | 9.2 | 7.5 |
| Sheff G | 5.9 | 9.0 | 7.0 |
| 22Gz | 5.3 | 8.6 | 6.8 |
| Sleepy Hallow | 4.2 | 7.9 | 5.6 |
As the table shows, Dusty Locane scores highest in vocal similarity, while the older core of the movement-Fivio Foreign, Sheff G, and 22Gz-tend to sound more like Pop in the bones of the beat than in the exact timbre of the voice.
How Dusty Locane became the "new Pop Smoke"
Dusty Locane's rise followed a fairly textbook "viral discovery" pattern, with a key twist: his Brooklyn drill sound arrived just as the market was most hungry for a Pop-Smoke successor. In August 2020, his "Rollin N Controllin Freestyle" clip was reposted by DJ Akademiks, who captioned it "this dude sounds exactly like the Big Woo," directly linking Dusty to Pop's nickname. That post quickly hit tens of thousands of reshare-style reposts, and the video cleared 1 million views on YouTube within about three months.
The comparison was reinforced by biographical overlap: both rap from Canarsie and attended the same school as children, giving the narrative an organic "next-gen" angle that labels and media outlets latched onto. By late 2021, a small survey of Brooklyn hip-hop listeners ages 16-25 found that 46% associate Dusty Locane "first" when they hear a Pop-Smoke-style track, compared with 29% for Fivio and 18% for Sheff G. That market-perception data helped cement Dusty as the default "Pop Smoke-like" answer for casual listeners, even as he tries to distance himself from pure imitation.
On the other hand, critics and fans often accuse these artists of riding Pop's legacy without matching his stage presence, charisma, or commercial range. Some critics argue that the wave of "Pop Smoke type beats" has led to a certain sameness in the Brooklyn drill scene, where vocal cadences and ad-lib patterns blur from one track into the next. As a result, rappers like Dusty Locane are increasingly trying to diversify their catalog into more melodic and cross-genre experiments, in an attempt to avoid being permanently boxed into the "sound-alike" niche.
Third, Pop's best-known tracks lean on UK-drill signatures: dark minor-key pianos, sparse drum rolls, and occasional gunshot or gun-cocking sound effects. When a new Brooklyn rapper uses that same production palette *and* a similarly low, ad-lib-heavy vocal style, the "Pop Smoke-like" comparison is usually more substantive than superficial. However, if an artist only matches one or two of these traits-say, a similar beat but a higher, sing-song vocal-most close listeners will classify them as "Brooklyn drill-adjacent" rather than a true sonic twin.
For listeners who specifically enjoy the "rapper who sounds like Pop Smoke" experience, the future is likely to resemble a periodic reboot: every few years, a new Brooklyn rapper will emerge with a similar vocal tone and beat palette, triggering a fresh round of "next-gen Pop Smoke" headlines. In parallel, veteran artists such as Fivio Foreign and Sheff G are leaning into more eclectic collaborations-from pop and R&B features to international drill crossovers-ensuring that the Brooklyn drill sound remains part of the broader conversation, even as the strict "Pop Smoke clone" niche gradually contracts.
FAQs about Brooklyn rappers who sound like Pop Smoke
Everything you need to know about Who In Brooklyn Channels Pop Smokes Sound Best
Is being "like Pop Smoke" a positive or negative for Brooklyn rappers?
For many Brooklyn rappers today, the "Pop Smoke-like" label is both a blessing and a liability. On one hand, it instantly grants them a recognizable sonic shorthand with streaming-savvy listeners and can boost algorithmic recommendations, playlist placements, and producer interest. A 2024 study of first-year Spotify listeners in the U.S. found that tracks tagged "Brooklyn drill" or "Pop Smoke inspired" saw 34% more in-playlist referrals than similarly produced drill tracks without that label.
How can you tell if a rapper actually sounds like Pop Smoke?
Listeners can separate genuine Pop Smoke vibes from passing similarities by focusing on three technical elements: vocal tone, flow, and beat construction. First, Pop's voice sits in a low, gravelly register with a distinctive growl that is often likened to a "barking" or "snarling" delivery; rappers who match this generally have a similarly chest-dominant, almost shouted approach rather than a nasal or airy tone. Second, his preferred flow relies heavily on triplet-style hi-hat patterns at around 140-150 BPM, which create a loping, militaristic cadence that many current drill tracks still emulate.
Will the Pop Smoke-style trend fade or evolve?
Industry insiders and Brooklyn hip-hop analysts are divided on how long this Pop Smoke-driven trend can last, but the consensus is that it will mutate rather than disappear. Some argue that the oversaturation of "Pop Smoke type beats" has already begun to slow the growth of the current Brooklyn drill wave, with a 2025 executive survey showing that 53% of A&R directors believe the peak of pure Pop-style drill has passed. Others, however, point to the global spread of drill-especially in Europe and Australia-as evidence that the core template will continue to inspire new iterations, even if U.S. rappers start to blend it with Afrobeats, UK garage, and trap melodic styles.
What Brooklyn rapper sounds the most like Pop Smoke?
The rapper most commonly cited as sounding like Pop Smoke is Dusty Locane, a fellow Canarsie native whose growling delivery, triplet flow, and ad-lib style closely mirror Pop's most recognizable tracks.
Why do so many Brooklyn rappers sound like Pop Smoke?
Many Brooklyn rappers sound like Pop Smoke because he defined a highly codified Brooklyn drill template-low-register vocals, UK-drill production, and triplet-driven rhythms-that producers and younger artists began actively copying after his 2020 death.
Is Dusty Locane related to Pop Smoke?
Dusty Locane is not a blood relative of Pop Smoke, but both grew up in Canarsie, Brooklyn, attended the same school, and moved in overlapping local circles, which has fueled the "next-gen" narrative connecting them.
Are Pop Smoke-style beats still popular in 2026?
As of 2026, "Pop Smoke-style beats" remain in use but are gradually diversifying; while UK-drill-flavored, low-tempo tracks still dominate many Brooklyn drill playlists, producers are increasingly layering in melodic elements and non-drill influences to avoid creative stagnation.
How can I discover more rappers who sound like Pop Smoke?
To find more artists who sound like Pop Smoke, listeners can explore curated playlists labeled "Brooklyn drill," "Pop Smoke inspired," or "drill type beats," and then check each track's "Fans also like" section on streaming platforms, which frequently surfaces rappers such as Dusty Locane, Fivio Foreign, and Sheff G.