Top 10 XXXTENTACION Songs
One year ago the day this list is being posted Florida rapper XXXTENTACION was tragically shot and killed far too young, and to remember his greatest works and legacy we're counting down our top 10 X songs spanning his entire career discography to find his most shining moments.
10. What In XXXTarnation
If there is one characteristic of X that kept him in the minds of so many young people all the time it may have been his incredible and persistent memeability. One of the most clear moments of self-awareness in his brief career came on What In XXXTarnation where he proved his connection to meme culture and the youth that devour it with a song right at the "What In Tarnation" memes height that helped further jumpstart his career in the wake of Look At Me! and is a pretty damn good tune on its own.
9. #IMSIPPINTEAINYOHOOD
Though it may have not been peak X memehood those who have been around him for a long time certainly remember when Sippin Tea In Yo Hood was a meme gold mine. Even given how infectious and flat out hilarious the track is it would be criminal to ignore just how sharp the shouted refrain on this track is and even thought a bulk of the tune revolves around it there is no denying just how satisfying it is to scream along.
8. Fuck Love
Fuck Love had a short lived period of domination during the late summer of 2017 and it is easy to see why when the infectious blend of young talent between X and Trippie Redd resulted in a song so personal and relatable. The song sees Trippie lending his signature crooning to a hook so infectious he would go on to use it again basically note for note on his 6ix9ine diss track Dark Knight Dummo as well as X getting emotional but sharply delivering his lovesick bars over a stripped back instrumental that turns a collab between two young trappers into a surprisingly beautiful tune.
7. Infinity (888)
When Joey Badass joins you on a track there is immediately a unique credibility granted that blends together that active spirit of conscious hip hop in young people and the pedigree of New York's long standing hip hop scene. The song features a relatively basic structure but it is in the always on point performances from both artists that made infinity a favorite of many critics upon the release of ? last year. Joey brings some classic half rhymes in his own sharp series of bars to open up the song, riding a lowkey beat with flows that show off his talent and pedigree as a young MC and X meets this with his own over the top creativity in a fun and braggadocios series of bars that follow. The two link up for a pretty solid hook at the end of the song that helps it fade out but the major highlight here is their different but equally sharp verses that make up a bulk of the track.
6. RIP Roach
If you don't think "Cocaine for my breakfast, hold that pistol ambidextrous" is the most enigmatic and personality filled introductory lines of the SoundCloud Rap era you better have a pretty compelling argument for what is, because RIP Roach hits the ground running. The song closes off X's debut commercial project the short but sweet Revenge and originally comes from Ski Mask's SoundCloud page. With shouted flows heavy distortion and a nonstop onslaught of sheer energy the song is an unstoppable force that became an early fan favorite and a staple of live shows.
5. Moonlight
And now finally at #5 we have landed at peak X meme territory with the sleeper hit of of ?, moonlight. The introductory passage of the song caught fire right away when its fragmented and seemingly meaningless series of rhymes was too catchy for content creators to resist and the general music listening audience seemed to agree. The surprising success of moonlight seems to come from just how infectious nearly every part of the track is, coming from John Cunningham's tight and infectious instrumental as well as the songs sharp hook and hilariously charming lyrics. moonlight is sure to be one of X's most memorable and long lasting successes propelled by the tracks devoted youthful following.
4. SAD!
SAD! is yet another example of X's unbreakable connection with young people and it's infectious beat and performance makes it no surprise the song is far and away his biggest chart hit, and one that gave him one of only 8 posthumous #1 hits in Billboard history. John Cunningham's beat alone would be an irresistable piece of a song but surprisingly given its bouncy and poppy approach, X's boyish singing and hilarious self-aware rapping makes for a complete modern pop tune. The song was yet another X tune that made meme gold and probably the best example of his unstoppable trendsetting and ability to predict and dictate what was popular with young people.
3. Jocelyn Flores
X's biggest chart success during his lifetime came from a song that has an insanely catchy sample with which X harmonizes for a brief but impactful chorus. This is followed by a series of personal and emotional bars wired around the woman whose name gives this track its title, and her suicide prior to its release. X goes full emo rap on a song that helped prove he was a multi-talented artist capable of effectively genre bending his punchy serious and hard hitting rap verses with a tight melody and irresistible hook.
2. Train Food
Train Food represents the only posthumously released track to land here on this list and where many of the songs on Skins feel unfinished and wandering Train Food tells one of the tightest stories ever delivered in an X song. The haunting keys and train samples laced into the instrumental set the perfect tone for what follows, X's fast paced delivery as he powers his way through an incredibly engaging story. He sets the scene as he slowly walks home before a life changing encounter with the spirit of death, one that ultimately leaves him tied to the train tracks contemplating his every decision, and where he is going next. Train Food transcends the general edginess that X liked to pull off in order to tell a truly haunting and contemplative story that was fittingly met with heaps of critical acclaim. One of the best examples of songwriting and storytelling in his entire discography may have been a predictive moment for what the future of his career could have looked like.
1. Look At Me!
Still to this day X's most iconic and career defining moment comes on Look At Me. Partly from the inherent memeability of the track, partly from the viral sensation mugshot of X that served as the songs cover but mostly from how unrelentingly catchy and strikingly predictive the song really is. X has done songs with hardest instrumentals and louder screams but the distinctive blend of this explosive side of hip hop with a sharp sense of melody and a series of refrains so catchy they are destined to stick in anyone's head it's no surprise the track caught on like wildfire and jumpstarted the career of XXXTENTACION. Even though he would broaden his style and expand his genre limitations on every future release there was never a moment quite as groundbreaking, influential or chaotic as Look At Me!, and for that it is well deserving of the #1 spot.
For more XXXTENTACION check out my year end singles list from 2018 here.
Or check out my Top 100 Singles Of 2017 Playlist featuring Jocelyn Flores here.
If there is one characteristic of X that kept him in the minds of so many young people all the time it may have been his incredible and persistent memeability. One of the most clear moments of self-awareness in his brief career came on What In XXXTarnation where he proved his connection to meme culture and the youth that devour it with a song right at the "What In Tarnation" memes height that helped further jumpstart his career in the wake of Look At Me! and is a pretty damn good tune on its own.
Though it may have not been peak X memehood those who have been around him for a long time certainly remember when Sippin Tea In Yo Hood was a meme gold mine. Even given how infectious and flat out hilarious the track is it would be criminal to ignore just how sharp the shouted refrain on this track is and even thought a bulk of the tune revolves around it there is no denying just how satisfying it is to scream along.
Fuck Love had a short lived period of domination during the late summer of 2017 and it is easy to see why when the infectious blend of young talent between X and Trippie Redd resulted in a song so personal and relatable. The song sees Trippie lending his signature crooning to a hook so infectious he would go on to use it again basically note for note on his 6ix9ine diss track Dark Knight Dummo as well as X getting emotional but sharply delivering his lovesick bars over a stripped back instrumental that turns a collab between two young trappers into a surprisingly beautiful tune.
When Joey Badass joins you on a track there is immediately a unique credibility granted that blends together that active spirit of conscious hip hop in young people and the pedigree of New York's long standing hip hop scene. The song features a relatively basic structure but it is in the always on point performances from both artists that made infinity a favorite of many critics upon the release of ? last year. Joey brings some classic half rhymes in his own sharp series of bars to open up the song, riding a lowkey beat with flows that show off his talent and pedigree as a young MC and X meets this with his own over the top creativity in a fun and braggadocios series of bars that follow. The two link up for a pretty solid hook at the end of the song that helps it fade out but the major highlight here is their different but equally sharp verses that make up a bulk of the track.
If you don't think "Cocaine for my breakfast, hold that pistol ambidextrous" is the most enigmatic and personality filled introductory lines of the SoundCloud Rap era you better have a pretty compelling argument for what is, because RIP Roach hits the ground running. The song closes off X's debut commercial project the short but sweet Revenge and originally comes from Ski Mask's SoundCloud page. With shouted flows heavy distortion and a nonstop onslaught of sheer energy the song is an unstoppable force that became an early fan favorite and a staple of live shows.
And now finally at #5 we have landed at peak X meme territory with the sleeper hit of of ?, moonlight. The introductory passage of the song caught fire right away when its fragmented and seemingly meaningless series of rhymes was too catchy for content creators to resist and the general music listening audience seemed to agree. The surprising success of moonlight seems to come from just how infectious nearly every part of the track is, coming from John Cunningham's tight and infectious instrumental as well as the songs sharp hook and hilariously charming lyrics. moonlight is sure to be one of X's most memorable and long lasting successes propelled by the tracks devoted youthful following.
SAD! is yet another example of X's unbreakable connection with young people and it's infectious beat and performance makes it no surprise the song is far and away his biggest chart hit, and one that gave him one of only 8 posthumous #1 hits in Billboard history. John Cunningham's beat alone would be an irresistable piece of a song but surprisingly given its bouncy and poppy approach, X's boyish singing and hilarious self-aware rapping makes for a complete modern pop tune. The song was yet another X tune that made meme gold and probably the best example of his unstoppable trendsetting and ability to predict and dictate what was popular with young people.
X's biggest chart success during his lifetime came from a song that has an insanely catchy sample with which X harmonizes for a brief but impactful chorus. This is followed by a series of personal and emotional bars wired around the woman whose name gives this track its title, and her suicide prior to its release. X goes full emo rap on a song that helped prove he was a multi-talented artist capable of effectively genre bending his punchy serious and hard hitting rap verses with a tight melody and irresistible hook.
Train Food represents the only posthumously released track to land here on this list and where many of the songs on Skins feel unfinished and wandering Train Food tells one of the tightest stories ever delivered in an X song. The haunting keys and train samples laced into the instrumental set the perfect tone for what follows, X's fast paced delivery as he powers his way through an incredibly engaging story. He sets the scene as he slowly walks home before a life changing encounter with the spirit of death, one that ultimately leaves him tied to the train tracks contemplating his every decision, and where he is going next. Train Food transcends the general edginess that X liked to pull off in order to tell a truly haunting and contemplative story that was fittingly met with heaps of critical acclaim. One of the best examples of songwriting and storytelling in his entire discography may have been a predictive moment for what the future of his career could have looked like.
Still to this day X's most iconic and career defining moment comes on Look At Me. Partly from the inherent memeability of the track, partly from the viral sensation mugshot of X that served as the songs cover but mostly from how unrelentingly catchy and strikingly predictive the song really is. X has done songs with hardest instrumentals and louder screams but the distinctive blend of this explosive side of hip hop with a sharp sense of melody and a series of refrains so catchy they are destined to stick in anyone's head it's no surprise the track caught on like wildfire and jumpstarted the career of XXXTENTACION. Even though he would broaden his style and expand his genre limitations on every future release there was never a moment quite as groundbreaking, influential or chaotic as Look At Me!, and for that it is well deserving of the #1 spot.
For more XXXTENTACION check out my year end singles list from 2018 here.
Or check out my Top 100 Singles Of 2017 Playlist featuring Jocelyn Flores here.
