XXL celebrates 50 years of hip-hop with this second:
March 16, 2018: XXXTentacion was arguably probably the most polarizing artist of the SoundCloud period. Five years in the past, the South Florida rapper launched his second album, ?, through Bad Vibes Forever/Caroline/Capitol Records, on at the present time in 2018.
By the time XXXTentacion dropped his sophomore album, he was a rising star in the rap sport after the success of his 2017 debut effort, 17, which exploded into the mainstream. On the ? album, XXX showcased his versatility by rapping over totally different sounds from growth-bap to pop to punk-rock and even Latin music.
For instance, on the Joey Bada$$-assisted “infinity (888),” XXXTentacion spits intricate punchlines over the P. Soul-produced growth-bap observe. “Make my flow shape-shift, cold expression like a facelift/At the Publix with like eight grips if you talkin’ all that ape shit/I’m not talkin’ YMBAPE shit, but I’m bangin’ on my chest, bitch,” he raps.
On the bouncy “I Don’t Even Speak Spanish LOL,” XXX delivers a sing-songy movement over a Latin, Caribbean-infused groove by producer Z3N. And on “Numb,” the late rapper wallows in his tears over a charging electrical guitar melody. He additionally flexed his musicality on the album’s three hit singles: the bombastic observe “SAD!,” the piano-pushed “Changes” and the psychedelic-lure banger “Moonlight.”
For his stellar work, X’s ? album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart throughout the week of March 31, 2018. On April 14, 2022, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) licensed the ? album quadruple platinum (4 million copies bought).
Sadly, three months after the album’s launch, XXXTentacion was shot and killed, on June 18, 2018, inside his car after purchasing for a motorbike at Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Three males concerned in the incident are on trial for his homicide.
Even although XXXTentacion has handed away, his music lives on via his devoted followers.
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