"Dior" is a song by American rapperPop Smoke, originally released on July 26, 2019, byVictor Victor Worldwide andRepublic Records as a track from his debutmixtapeMeet the Woo (2019). Adrill andhip hop song, it was written by Pop Smoke alongside producer808Melo, and was issued as the third and finalsingle from the tape on February 11, 2020. "Dior" was later added to Pop Smoke's second mixtapeMeet the Woo 2, along with a remix featuring fellow American rapperGunna. The solo version appeared again on Pop Smoke's posthumous debut studio albumShoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (2020), then finally once more on the deluxe edition of its follow-upFaith (2021). It has been included on all four of Pop Smoke's commercially released projects and is considered to be hissignature song.
In the song's lyrics, Pop Smoke raps about flirting with women and buying the latest designer clothes. "Dior" received widespread critical acclaim from critics, many of whom deemed it a New York anthem and hissignature song. The song was nominated forBest Rap Performance at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Shortly after Pop Smoke's death on February 19, 2020, the single peaked at number 22 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number 33 on theUK Singles Chart. "Dior" peaked in the top 60 of record charts in ten other countries, includingGreece, where it reached number six while charting for over 150 weeks. The single also received severalcertifications, including a triple-platinum certification in the US by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
JLShotThat directed themusic video for "Dior", which depicts Pop Smoke dancing with a group of people in a parking lot and at a strip club. Pop Smoke performed the song forVevoDSCVR and Rolling Loud in 2019. In the wake of themurder of George Floyd and the ensuingcivil unrest, the song became a prominent anti-police brutalityprotest anthem.
American rapperGunna (pictured in 2019) is featured on the remix of "Dior".
American rapperPop Smoke first showed "Dior" to record executiveSteven Victor. Victor felt that the song was interesting, but did not think it would be successful; when a colleague listened to it, they then had the impression the song would be one of Pop Smoke's biggest hits. He listened to the song again and realized how he enjoyed the song'shook. Victor took the song toRepublic Records and wanted it to be Pop Smoke's next single from hismixtapeMeet the Woo (2019). Victor wanted Pop Smoke to be a global artist and decided to have him perform a promo tour in specifically targeted cities, starting in London, UK, and continuing to cities where the song was becoming popular. He started showcasing "Dior" through several New York radio stations; he and two of his friends started to work on the song and sent it to DJs around the US to play.[1]
In November 2020, Pop Smoke's brother Obasi Jackson showed an unreleased version of "Dior" on anInstagram livestream and played unreleased lyrics from the song.[2] This scrapped verse was later repurposed for the posthumous track “Bad Boys” on Pop Smoke's second studio albumFaith (2021). "Dior" was originally released as the sixth track on Pop Smoke's debut mixtapeMeet the Woo, on July 26, 2019.[3] It was later sent to Americanrhythmic contemporary radio as the mixtape's third and final single on February 11, 2020,[4] and then added as a bonus track to Pop Smoke's second mixtapeMeet the Woo 2 (2020) and posthumous debut studio albumShoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon (2020).[5][6][7] A remix of the song featuring American rapperGunna was released on the deluxe edition ofMeet the Woo 2, released on February 12, 2020.[8] The song was later added on the deluxe edition of Pop Smoke's second albumFaith (2021).[9]
Pop Smoke co-wrote "Dior" with808Melo. 808Melo produced and programmed the song. Jack Baxter and Vic Wainstein were the song's recording engineers; and Jaycen Joshua, DJ Riggins, and Mike Seabergmixed the song with assistant mixer Jacob Richards.[10] "Dior" is adrill andhip hop song[11][12][13][14] with production that makes use of a bass wobble,Hi-hat, and violin sample that is reversed and chopped up.[15][16][17] August Brown of theLos Angeles Times pointed out the lines "Tell my shooters call me FaceTime/For all the time we had to face time" are about gun-play.[18] Alphonse Pierre fromPitchfork said the song is about the frustration of seeing a friend being jailed, the fun of flirting and buying fashionable clothes, and the "sobering reality" of knowing it could end unexpectedly.[19] In the words ofThe Buffalo News' Abby Monteil, Pop Smoke shows his love for buying his girlfriend expensive gifts from brands likeDior,[20] while Heran Mamo fromBillboard magazine wrote that Pop Smoke boasts about the finer things in life he can buy.[21] For the song's remix, Anthony Malone, writing forHipHopDX, stated that Gunna raps about "his favorite denim jeans from Mike Amiri, Ricky Owens and Valentino. He also mentions his favorite sports cars and designer watches".[22]
"Dior" was met with critical acclaim by critics, being lauded as a genre definingBrooklyn drill song.Uproxx's Wongo Okon cited it as the standout track ofMeet the Woo.[23] David Aaron Brake ofHipHopDX considered the song a "classic",[24]Paper's Bianca Gracie called it a "head-rushing hit".[25] Critic Erin Lowers ofExclaim! described the track as fresh and said it is "the power of short and sweet".[26] InThe New York Times, Nicole Hong deemed "Dior" a "radio staple".[27] Julyssa Lopez ofThe New Yorker commended the song's "roaring, rallying spirit".[28]
Some reviewers believed "Dior" displayed Pop Smoke's personality.Billboard critic Michael Saponara labeled the song an "instant party-starter", and declared it embodies "exactly what made Pop Smoke special".[29] Charles Lyons-Burt fromSlant Magazine said Pop Smoke channels "his untamed aggression into repetitive, elemental lyrics that were colored by his force of personality".[30] Writing forAllMusic, Fred Thomas opined Pop Smoke throws bars effortlessly and rides an "explosive beat typical to the blunt" and praised its aggressive feel that "flows through the entire mixtape".[31]
Several music critics praised "Dior" as an anthem.Variety's A. D. Amorosi described the song as a "taut and tension-filled anthem", writing that it sounds raucous and sinister.[13] Craig Jenkins ofVulture said it was a "classic Big Apple party anthem",[32] andEssence's Brooklyn White referred to "Welcome to the Party", "Dior", and "Shake the Room" as anthems forBrooklyn.[33]San Francisco Chronicle critic Robert Spuhler wrote the song was one of Pop Smoke's signature songs and said it was inescapable in New York during 2019.[34]NPR's Briana Younger lauded it as an "artifact of the New York summer".[35]
In November 2020, "Dior" received a nomination forBest Rap Performance at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[36][37] Steven Victor toldGQ the nomination was not important and stated "Dior" should have been nominated in more than one category.[1]
In the United States, “Dior” was asleeper hit, having reached its peak on the USBillboard Hot 100 roughly an entire year after its initial release. After Pop Smoke was murdered at the age of 20 in a home invasion, "Dior" debuted at number 49 on the USBillboard Hot 100 based on 12 million streams in the week ending February 20, 2020.[38] It became Pop Smoke's first solo and posthumous Hot 100 hit after collaborating withJackBoys andTravis Scott on "Gatti", which debuted and peaked at number 69 in January 2020.[21][38] "Dior" then rose to number 30 on the chart dated March 7, 2020.[21] Following the release ofShoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, "Dior" peaked at number 22 on the Hot 100.[39] The song reached the top 30 on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs andRhythmic charts.[40][41] In May 2020, theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified "Dior" platinum for selling 1,000,000 certified units, making it Pop Smoke's first song to gain a platinum certification in the United States.[42][43]
In the United Kingdom, "Dior" debuted at number 73 on theUK Singles Chart dated February 21, 2020.[44] After Pop Smoke's death, "Dior" rose 40 places to number 33 on the chart dated February 28, 2020, giving the rapper his first top-40 hit in the UK.[45] The song was later certified double platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting track-equivalent sales and streams of 1,200,000 units in the UK.[46] In Australia, "Dior" peaked at number 48 on theARIA Singles Chart after the release ofShoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, and was certified gold by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of over 35,000 copies[47][48] The song was later certified triple-platinum by the RIAA for sales and streams of over 3,000,000 units in the US.[49] The song peaked within the top 60 of record charts in Canada,[50] Denmark,[51] France,[52] Germany,[53] Iceland,[54] Ireland,[55] New Zealand,[56] and Portugal.[57] The song was most successful in Greece, peaking at number six.[58]
Amusic video for "Dior" was released on September 3, 2019, and was directed, produced, and edited by JLShotThat.[59] It features Pop Smoke and a group of men and women dancing to the track in a strip club and in a nearby parking lot.[59][60] The rapper is also seen throwing cash in the air.[61] Toward the end of the video, the group are interrupted by distant gunfire and the video closes with a single thundering gunshot before cutting to black.[59]
In October 2019, Pop Smoke performed "Dior" live onMTV'sTotal Request Live offshoot programFresh Out Friday.[62] A month later, he performed the song forVevoDSCVR, a platform showcasing emerging young artists.[63] Later in December, he performed the song live at a Rolling Loud concert in Los Angeles, California.[64] In February of the next year, shortly after his death, the Yard Club in Paris, France, debuted an on-stagehologram of Pop Smoke that virtually performed "Dior".[65]
After Pop Smoke's murder on February 19, 2020, fans gathered in his hometownCanarsie, Brooklyn, in March 2020 and sang the lyrics of "Dior" and his other songs.[66] In June 2020, "Dior" became an anthem for theBlack Lives Matter movement.[13][67] Although the song is not aboutpolice brutality orracism, it became apopular anthem that was used as a symbol of resistance during theGeorge Floydprotests.[13] Shamira Ibrahim ofNylon stated "Dior" was juxtaposed against a backdrop of burning police cars and groups of protesters marching down Eastern Parkway. She said the track had the "coalescence of energy [that] feels nearly elemental".[67] Alphonse Pierre ofPitchfork said the song does not sound "quite like those other songs" and concluded by saying "Dior" was never intended to be part of the moment but that it was "unifying and energizing" the protests.[19]Paste's Jade Gomez wrote that the song had "taken on a new meaning of protest".[68] Writing forGQ, Paul Thompson opined "Dior" was a strange fit for the protest movement but was "nonetheless appropriate".[69]
In early 2020, "Dior" began trending on the video-sharing social networking serviceTikTok.[70] At the2020 BET Hip Hop Awards, the song's instrumental section was used to honor Pop Smoke. The performance featured rappersFlo Milli,Buddy,Deante' Hitchcock, and Adé rapping over the track's beat.[71]
After gaining popularity worldwide, the song was remixed by many international artists including Ghanaian rapperKwesi Arthur, Jamaicandancehall artistSkillibeng, Nigerian singerLadipoe, and UK drill rappers Skeng and Perm.[72] In particular, IDPizzle's "Dior" cover, titled "Billie Jin (Dior Remix)", became a viral success after being featured on the appTriller.[73] Within a month, the remix had attracted the attention ofUMG/Virgin UK, and IDPizzle announced had signed a recording contract with the label.[74] The official remix of "Dior" features American rapperGunna and was included on the deluxe edition of Pop Smoke's second mixtapeMeet the Woo 2.[8][75] The "Dior" remix was ranked the third-best song of 2020 up to July byThe Ringer,[76] andTidal included Gunna's verse on its year-end playlist for the best guest verses of 2020.[77]
