Somewhere between not being able to pronounce his name, minor beefs, prison stints, and the industry’s favorite karaoke singer running with his style, I started to question rather or not XXXtentaticon would get the chance to fully showcase his promising skill. On some quasi-prince shit XXX decided to allow his latest album to be represented with a symbol, a simple “?” instead of a more customary title that adds to his mystique even inspite of his burgeoning success and increasing star power. The question mark album is an exploration into XXX’s influence and musical admirations. Doing away with the cliché “jack of all trades, master of none” X successfully mixes elements of trap, traditional raps, singing, and alternative sounds sufficiently to provide answers that made my earlier inquiry obsolete. This kid found away to encapsulate it all into an album and fulfill the promise of his skill set.
XXXtentacion commences the album with instructions to be “open minded” but in retrospect that shit was more of a manifesto, a proclamation to open the minds of listeners through brief yet emotionally brief tracks. “Alone pt3” minimalist approach to both lyrics and production is paragon example of such. The song lacks a chorus but shit at under 2 minutes who needs one anyway but the repetitive questioning of his worth turns from yearn for love to emotional nihilism after “Gave my love a piece of me”. I’m sure most of us can relate to the level of heartache, the level where you feel nothing and in that absence feeling bad begins to feel good and alone part 3 than becomes 10 minute loop due to its poignancy and lyrics vague enough to for you to perfectly feel in the gaps with your personal pain.
XXX’s bizarre ride is interrupted with the emergence of the familiar voice of Joey Badass and his traditional take on Hip Hop. “I’m as realist they come, they feel it get numb you think you got a little buzz so now you finna get stung”. I’m sure its all friendly competition but Joey just came out swinging and because up until this point on the project its been X mostly on his “other” shit, you might assume he couldn’t keep up and you’d be dead wrong. The crazy motherfucker from Florida transforms with “Make my flow shapeshift, cold expression like a facelift,I could probably swing like eight grips if you talkin’ all that ape shit,I’m not talkin’ YM Bape shit, but I’m bangin’ on my chest, bitch” only to pause and double down with “Travelin’ through the infinity, uh, You not that nigga, pretend to be, uh, All that bullshit do not get to me, uh I am a spirit, an entity, uh”; at this point I’m like damn is there anything this young man can’t do. From Broward to Brooklyn X and Joey could have did finish the track a la the “Finest” but instead shared in a chant of “ I don’t feel the pain no mo” which provide a temporary break from XXX’s melancholy and celebrate being emcees with lyrical flus.
After showcasing his prowess as and emcee XXXtentacion continues through with his theory and experiment to open minds by showcasing another facet of his hybrid style by allowing Travis Barker to grab the drums and clash with his attention grabbing technique of shouting “Don’t Cry”. Despite his turbulence and knack for finding trouble XXX is for the kids and we expect this song to be a favorite amongst the youth struggling with the multiple woes of coming of age in the Trump era. Right went you thought he pushed you to the edge of emotions XXX switches extremes and grabs PnB Rock for “Smash” a lighthearted ode to sex or so we thought, until PnB rock reveals in his verse “Then she turned around and cried Demons all in her eyes, She don’t feel no pain, she might be insane”. Damn right went things were starting to cheer up the bitch turns out to be insane. The sex scapade gone wrong is followed by “ I don’t even speak Spanish” which comes off comedic turn out to be the only song on the 18-track effort I had to skip.
“?” has succeeded at mastering the short song format that’s become favorable over the past couple of years. This album sounds like the soundtrack to the greatest instasnaps you’ve yet to create. I can’t wait to see the social media’s baddest turn up to the Matt Ox assisted “$$$” that shit is sure to rule clubs and steering wheel performances soon. Encapsulating complete, well thought out songs in under 3 minutes is no small feet but X’s ability to convey emotion in a say less manner is top notch. The album ends with a trifecta of songs that I believe are most important to the artist itself. The menacing feel of the albums closer “before I close my eyes” and the questions present throughout the project reach their apex with “I pray the Lord my soul to keep I hope it’s not too late for me”. while we’re not sure where X is at mentally it seems that musically its for too late as the “?” album appears to be right on time.
Hip Hop is XXXtentacion’s home front to concur music and return rock/ alternative sounds to its darker origins and imprint the signature of Blackness further into the youth of America.
-Matthew Carroll
