Hip-hop is a musical genre that started from humble New York cities to become a worldwide phenomenon racking over hundreds of millions of dollars yearly worldwide. Most people attribute hip-hop to rapping (rhythmical delivery of vocals paired with a soundtrack) but hip-hop itself is an embodiment of an entire subculture which includes elements of fashion, lifestyle, rapping, table-turning, dancing, graffiti’s etc.
I set out to write about a young hiphop rapper who is no longer with us, XXXTENTACION, a 20 year old Florida based rapper who landed his first Biilboard No.1 album with little promotion, minimal press, no mainstream hit single and serious felony abuse accusations hanging over his head, for those who do not know who this is then you’re either too old or you do not listen to the same music I do. Here’s a sample mix
About a week ago when the hashtag #ripxxxtentacion emerged on my twitter feed I could not place a face to the name. I usually stream my radio shows from mixcloud and every once in a while I will shazam a nice song, one day it happened to be a song from the rapper. I googled the name and his name was included with other new-age, famous sound-cloud rappers, most of whom I listen to on occasion (lil pump and other lil’s).
So I listened to his albums and mix and this is what I came up with:
Yes, from those wondering, he was shot, robbed of life and yes he lived a controversial life but that is never a warrant for the untimely and cruel way he went.
For those who like dark trap type of music, xxxtentacion album -? is a masterpiece. I particularly recommend ‘Sad’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Moonlight’
When listening to this album, you need to understand you’re dealing with a 20 year-old star who rose to fame for his distinct brand of aggressive rap.
In ‘17’ and ‘?‘ XXXTentacion gave us a glimpse into his mind, and anyone who makes music will know that sentiment. Music bridges the gap between the things we think and the things we say. It allows others to feel some of the complex emotions we do, but is our work independent of our actions outside of it? Maybe. I don’t know, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
On “SAD!” X laments about the struggle of letting go of a loved one and the feeling of depression that follows.
He details emotions of uncertainty surrounding a specific relationship. He is insecure and heartbroken due to the fact that his girlfriend had left him, bringing about a melancholy vibe.
He also brings up suicide, a subject often discussed throughout his discography. For example, in the song “Jocelyn Flores” from his 2017 album, 17, he raps about a friend who suffered from depression and ultimately killed herself.
X had and will still continue to have a loyal fan-base, he might have come up as a villain rapper but his last albums and his topics of choice he explored are what his fans will always remember.
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