XXXTENTACION – REVENGE Review

After spending months in jail awaiting charges, being released and coming back to a warm welcoming from the Hip-Hop community; XXXtentacion released his first official project, ‘Revenge’ on Tuesday. Filled with previously released records “Look At Me!”, “Slipknot” and “I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore”. The short, 8-track album, memorable of the roll-out of Kanye’s ‘Yeezus’ LP, dropped unexpectedly and for XXX fans craving original, or at the most, more of his material available on streaming services, it was a good start to the week.

Although the majority of the material on this ‘official’ of somewhat album, had already been released, it still provides a short, undefined and antagonistic perspective to one of the youngest, entertaining and mysterious individuals in Hip-Hop at the moment. The latter mentioned “I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore” is one of the lighter and interesting songs on the album. The instrumental is gloomy with chopped and screwed samples, sharp snares and tight hi-hats. XXX provides a daunting monotone melody of a bad relationship that captures a less provocative side of him.

As always, XXX isn’t shy too experiment with his vocals and instrumentals. “Looking For A Star” is the friendliest record filled with Afrobeat drums, overly edited vocals and some of the most fucked up synths that have blessed my ears. “Valentine” is also another interesting song. Slow-paced drums, short guitar riffs and distorted melodic vocals croon out over the beat that reminds me of Tyler, The Creators’ ‘BASTARD’ instrumentals. “RIP Roach” featuring $ki Mask the Slump God starts with a looped moaning sample before the beat drops viciously where he barks his bars that could only influence a manic mosh-pit.

What may be the most exciting songs on the album could be the Jazzy “Slipknot”. Juxtaposing the song title with the cool melancholic keys, although it does remind of their record “Snuff”, XXX raps breathlessly about love, friends who turn out being snakes and getting right with his mum.

What may be one of this generations most low-key artists has a lot of emotion and content to put out, which is evident. Disappointingly, the album is too short for him to be getting known amongst the masses as the majority of the tracks had already been released via streaming platform Soundcloud. However, now that his music is more freely available to listen too, it does allow XXX fans and critics to listen and demand more from him or fall off. It’s too early to put it out there, but with the demand for new music becoming more and more addictive for fans, who knows where XXX’s career could go from here.

 

Lil Peep – HELLBOY Review

Los Angeles resident, Gustav Åhr, popularly known as Lil Peep, released his latest solo tape, ‘HELLBOY’ back on Soundcloud nearly half a year ago. Before then, he dropped two other tapes, ‘Crybaby’ and ‘Castles’. Since then, he’s gathered a dedicated cult following, not unheard of in today’s Hip-Hop, over a million views on YouTube and is still an unsigned artist.

Today, I’ll be listening and reviewing his ‘HELLBOY’ tape and see where the hype is at for the twenty-year old songwriter/performer.

At 16 tracks long, the tape is ambitious for a said ‘Soundcloud Rapper’. A lot of artists struggle today releasing an album with more than 12-14 tracks and receiving claim to their product. However, throughout the tape, Peep doesn’t sound like the length of the project or songs affect the length. In perspective, it’s more of an original Playstation game where the graphics (music in this case) isn’t particularly outstanding, but you’re hyped by the game. In this case, Peep is that game you never knew would be that good till you tried it.

His instrumentals are all still Hip-Hop, however, there’s an infusion of other genres as well. “OMFG”, is a loud, guitar heavy, hi-hat addicts dream. Peep talks about suicide, where in an interview with Pitchfork he admits to suffering from depression, but uses music, like a lot of people, to forget about the bullshit in the world. Peep also sounds like the child of all different musical DNA. From Gucci Mane (one of his influences), Terror, Trash Talk, 2011-2013 Odd Future and Tech N9ne as he uses multiple genres to express his emotions of depression as well as his rags to riches story.

The seventh track, “Gucci Mane” doesn’t particularly live up to its hype that the name amounts to. However, the Hip-Pop, drugged up guitar sampled song, expressing Peep’s addiction to drugs like pharmaceuticals and cocaine, does have the tinge of Gucci-esque. “Interlude” follows up with the aesthetic of the rest of the tracks. Cloudy instrumental, disorganised, over mixed vocals for “Interlude”. The content of the track explores materialism in today’s music scene, how his songs and persona may depict the typical artist in Hip-Hop/Trap. However, he’s opening up to his listeners, showing that he’s deeper and…dare I say…conscious.

Although the albums heavy with drug references, depression, physical desires and desire to be appreciated in a picky genre of music, Lil Peeps latest offering is pretty fucking rad. It doesn’t sound that different, vocally, to a lot of rappers or musicians biting the Trap/Houston wave, however, Peep’s lyrical content is interesting. It’s a lot more honest and listenable than some other artists.

 

XXXTENTACION : The Living Hype

I didn’t really know who XXXTENTACION was until I read a HotNewHipHop article about a young Florida rapper who was arrested for multiple reasons. All I knew about him was the now-famous mugshot of XXX. However, after sitting in one of my friends cars and unwillingly had to listen to the unmastered, Cloud-Rappers’ (short) discography, I was taken aback. I had a feeling in my stomach that I had felt before and I knew instantly what it was.

I don’t think XXX has found his complete sound, or is even a talented lyricist, however, he is already showing elements of being the next Chief Keef. Obviously, Chief Keef’s career has been slipping lower and lower, following much-publicised legal woes and an inconsistent release of music. However, much like Keef, XXX’s aim to enter the industry is sadly delayed. While he has released on Soundcloud and YouTube over 30 tracks and gathering over millions of plays, his career is hanging more on the line of the law than the industry.

XXX’s music is psychedelic, aggressive, HARD AF and most of all, HYPE. 

The first song I heard was “Look At Me!”. No, not because Drake, snaked his flow (typical), but because, fuck, it’s just so fucking raw. The distortion of the beat, the aggression of XXX’s vocals and the amazing loop of the creepiest vocal sample. XXX sounds hungry and passionate about his outtake on music. While his lyrics are banal, uninteresting and not that mind-provoking, how could you not want to fucking throw everything in your site out windows and just mosh forever to it?

“Vice City”, the first track to appear on X’s Soundcloud page uses a sample of a woman singing, with raspy drums and a flow similar to that of British Grime MC’s. “Lets Pretend We’re Numb” is also undeniably one of the most cohesive and thought-out tracks I’ve heard from XXX. “Alone” is another track that show the diversity in XXX’s ear for production, for his own sonic sound. The lyrics on this track are dark and the song could’ve easily been used for a short scene in a horror film.

Looking through his minimal discography of tracks and ‘snippets’ of XXX, there is a clear idea and theme that the rapper is trying to put across. Combining the aesthetic of Anime, using lo-fi samples to create head-banging singles and incorporating a variety of genres; from Jazz and Rock to R&B and Hip-Hop, XXX has to be one of the creatively diverse unsigned artists in today’s industry.