By Eli Corenthal ’19

Rapper Lil Peep and XXXTentacion (otherwise known as X) released their post muthesius single, “Falling Down” on Friday Sept. 21. The release of the single has sparked conversations about X’s music and the deeper meaning behind it.

Earlier this year, in June, X was shot and killed outside a car dealership in his hometown of Florida. Since his death, his songs and albums have skyrocketed up charts and his music is now more popular than ever before. In fact, he is the first rapper since B.I.G. to have one of his songs reach number one in the country after his death.

“I am a really big fan of X’s music,” Samantha Pacilio ’19 said. “I think he was a very different kind of rapper that spoke from the heart.”

In the second interlude, X refers to the idea that music artists become more famous when they die. He says, “It’s unfortunate because it’s like, yo, when people die, that’s when we like ’em, you know?” X recorded this particular part of the song weeks before his death and yet after his death; songs his were played more and he developed more sympathizers.

X tended to carry over heavy themes within songs, and other public outings, “I think X was a different kind of rapper, he rapped about things that many people don’t talk about or even knew,” JJ Stanford ’19 said.

X also refers to his brief period of depression with the lines, “rain keeps falling, tears keep falling,” in the first interlude. Rain is a symbol of sadness, which connects back to X in his early music years, when he experienced depression and sadness first hand.

His song, “Sad” (in the Apple Music’s top 60), also mentions his previous sadness and depression. This song has been X’s most popular, shooting up to number one the week after his death.

“It is my favorite song of his, I think that song resembles his life in a way because he had a heartbreaking death,” Dylan Honig ’19 said. “I think the song fits the way his life ended. Sad.”

A recurring line in the song states, “Come let’s watch the rain as its falling down.” This line comes at the beginning of the chorus that occurs four times, and many believe that the line may be based on feelings that individuals share between each other. The line also has an underlying meaning saying that no matter what happens, good or bad, I will always be with you. X is trying to reply to the public that we need to be more empathetic and be there for people regardless of the circumstances.

Although XXXTentaction is no longer with us, his music will continue to teach us more about his past.