17
Perhaps the most controversial and polarizing rapper to transition from internet fame to the mainstream spotlight, XXXTENTACION calls his debut LP, *17*, “A collection of nightmares, thoughts, and real-life situations I\'ve lived.\" Sparse guitars and sullen melodies all but replace rap on this startlingly pained look inside the harrowing mind of a person for whom art and artist are impossibly intertwined. “Depression & Obsession,” “Save Me,” and “Dead Inside” are overwhelmingly melancholic, while the piano ballad “Orlando” addresses the Florida rapper’s lowest point head-on.
The Florida rapper’s debut album is muted and mired with pain, trauma, and controversy. The reasons it is difficult to listen to can overshadow the need to listen to it.