XXXTENTACION Essentials

After his riotous “Look at Me!” took off while he was incarcerated as a teenager, late South Florida rapper XXXTENTACION became one of rap's most polarizing figures. Early fans were drawn to the rapper's versatility, and his first official studio releases, 17 and ?, made good on that promise. X maintained a flair for melodic vocals, pinning catchy hooks onto the minimalist “SAD!” and smooth riffing onto the R&B-influenced “I Don't Wanna Do This Anymore.” Tracks like “Look at Me!” and “YuNg BrAtZ” are unalloyed bangers built on a foundation of speaker-shattering bass, while his Trippie Redd collab “F**k Love” and “the remedy for a broken heart (why am I so in love)” show a troubled rapper fully in touch with his emotions, no matter how bleak and unsettling they were.