In the wake of XXXTentacion’s tragic death, I recall so many of the great things he did for the Florida’s music scene. Things like carving his own musical lane and impacting lives across the globe, becoming a global figure in the process.
A legend no doubt, and a legend gone too soon. I’d like to reflect on what X really did from the jump till his death. A blueprint for doing things the way you want and building a cult following along the way.
Early on, X made unique and intense music where you wouldn’t know what to expect from his next song release. The record could be, “i spoke to the devil in miami, he said everything will be fine” where X creates genuine music from his heart, or you can get the raging XXXTentacion on tracks like, “Look At Me”, which makes you want to go absolutely nuts in the mosh pit. Early on in his career, X reached out to many people in the scene who were curating shows, blogs, and other networks to get his music out, as well as promote Member’s Only and Very Rare, crews that X affiliated with that consisted of artists from Broward all the way to Orlando with artists like Ski Mask The Slump God, Kid Trunks, Wifisfuneral, Danny Towers, and many others. Those artists built a loyal fanbase thanks to performing numerous shows across Florida and blasting their music as a collective on social media. Many other underground artists do it this way and it’s effective, but the way X and his cohorts attacked this strategy is what really set them apart from everyone else. A blueprint executed to a point.
Over the course of a year, X became one of the most polarizing figures in hip-hop due to a raw and unorthodox approach to the game. XXXTentacion managed to chart multiple times with two smash albums, 17 and “?”, along with his first hit single “Look At Me” going platinum. No stranger to controversy, X recently put on a charity show in honor of the Parkland shooting victims in an effort to better his image, and that impacted so much of the youth in Florida. The past few months consisted of him overall just being a better human and giving back to his community.
Those were just a few of the many good deeds X did for people and they will not be forgotten. XXXTentacion left us with some of the most memorable moments in his career, from coming up from nothing to rocking the stage and feeding off energy for people to just let go for even a second. X gave you a reason to go fucking wild and not give a single fuck about it, a true entertainer, a genuine human who we will never forget. Rest In Power Jahseh Onfroy a.k.a XXXTentacion. Photos taken by Winchoz.
