Top 10 XXXTentacion Songs

 
The second track off of XXX’s “Revenge” mixtape rings in at just under 2 minutes, but it still manages to pack a resonating punch. With a melancholic beat courtesy of SoundCloud producers NOVA and Khaed, VISUAL [the confessional track deals with common themes throughout X’s oeuvre: including struggles with numbness, depression, heartbreak, and late-night retrospection. At one point X admits he’s “praying that they all love me,” which goes to show that even as the budding rapper was amassing a fanbase, he still dealt with insecurity over being accepted. “I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore” is one of the rapper’s earlier tracks to expose such a deeply vulnerable side to XXX.
 





Here’s a song that XXX clearly harboured a deep connection with, especially because he had the word “numb” tattooed below his right eye. In an Instagram Live broadcast the musician elaborated on the tattoo’s meaning: “I got this when I was younger because I felt like I couldn’t feel and I just felt like I wanted to be numb to everything.” This guitar-driven track from his final studio album “?” revisits that pain-filled period of his life but turns into something nearly anthemic, with a powerhouse chorus that you want to sing along to. 
 
 

 
“My brain can’t fathom what the hate say,” XXX raps in this somber and contemplative song from “?”, which is one instance on the record where he addresses the hordes of negative attention he had been receiving in the media. In “the remedy for a broken heart” XXX samples himself singing the phrase “why am I so in love?,” which he then distorts and loops to build into a haunting, hypnotic refrain, overtop which X exhibits his prowess for rapping. He repeatedly references weed and cash, two false remedies which X turns to in an attempt to lift his spirits and mend his broken heart. 
   
 



 

 
 “Moonlight” is one of the most popular tracks from “?,” peaking at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s a baroque pop single that uses a beat that sounds like it was pulled from a retro video game to channel both his unique brand of mumble-rap juxtaposed with a sung chorus. Lyrically, “Moonlight” alternates between the words “spotlight” and “moonlight,” displaying XXX’s contrasting modes of being: trying to behave while under the spotlight, while simultaneously being one of the darkest figures in popular rap. The lyrics “get your mood right” are a word of advice to his fans, and to himself, to shine on amidst the ever-growing darkness.  
 
    
 

 
Released as the second single from “?” alongside “Sad!”, in this piano ballad XXX wears his heart on his sleeve. XXX is an artist who often liked to put on a tough facade, but in this heart-wrenching track he completely lets his guard down and opens up about his struggles, while featured artist PnB Rock croons the refrain.“Changes” is one of XXX’s most sensitive works and it also happens to be fully sung, causing it to stand out in his catalogue as one of his hard-hitting compositions about unrequited love.


 
 
 

 
When XXXTentacion heard the beat that Trippie Redd recorded at Lil Wayne’s studio, he immediately texted him and told the Ohio-based rapper it was going on X’s album. The end result that appeared on XXX’s first studio album “17” is a trap/lo-fi record about the pain of being rejected and yearning for true love. Although the line “Fuck Love” doesn’t even appear throughout the song’s lyrics, the track was given the alternate and cleaner titles: “F Love”, or simply, “Love.”
 
 





This track from “17” is classic XXX: its lo-fi sonic backdrop is paired with emo lyrics that outline XXX’s deepest vulnerabilities: reclusion, feeling trapped in your own mind, loneliness, longing for death. The song’s instrumental backing is a sample from  relatively unknown internet artist Shiloh Dynasty that XXX loops to craft a rhythmic, catchy sound that is contrasted by the sheer darkness of the verses:  
 
 
 

 
This lead single from XXX’s “?” was momentous for the rapper. Not only is it his highest charting song ever, but it made X the first musical act to earn a posthumous Hot 100 #1 Single since The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997. It also broke the single-day record for Spotify streams with 10.4 million streams in the wake of XXX’s murder, and the music video attracted a great deal of notoriety because it was filmed before his murder but only premiered after his death. The video eerily features XXX attending his own funeral service, which in reality had occurred one day prior. At its core, It’s a song about the rapper’s battle with depression and the video brings that inner struggle to life.
 
 




 First released on SoundCloud in late 2015, “Look At Me!” is the calling card that catapulted XXX into the ear canals of the mainstream. The high-energy trap song initially had slow traction but had a resurgence after Drake previewed a new song that drew controversy for its similarities to “Look At Me!”, leading “Look At Me!” to go viral while X was incarcerated. The music video gathered its own share of controversy, but the track, which was purposefully distorted and poorly mixed to distinguish it from mainstream rap, showcased a new voice in the rap game and one that would quickly come to reign it. You couldn’t help but look at X after hearing this new arrival. 
  
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
 
 
 
“#ImSippinTeaInYoHood” (2016)
 
 
“Riot” (2017)
 
 
“Revenge” (2017) 
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This track is a haunting and melodic tribute to XXX’s friend,  Jocelyn Flores, a model who was taking part in a photoshoot for the rapper when she committed suicide in his hotel room in 2017. Using looped vocals from from the Potsu song “I’m Closing My Eyes” and Shiloh Dynasty, the song peaked at the 19th spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and XXX was so affected by Jocelyn Flores’s death that he also dedicated the song “Revenge” to her. More so than being a  tribute for a single individual, however, “Jocelyn Flores” displays how X connected to numerous others suffering from depression, and how profoundly he understood the pain so much of his fanbase was enduring.