XXXTentacion became the first act to earn a posthumous Hot 100 number-one single as a lead artist since The Notorious B.I.G. "Sad!" debuted at number 17, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming XXXTentacion's first number-one song and his highest-charting single to date. The lead singles "Sad!" and "Changes" were released March 2, 2018, for streaming and digital download. XXXTentacion proceeded to claim his accounts were hacked whilst there was speculation he was insulting the rapper for promotion of "Sad!" and “Changes”.
On February 25, 2018, after the release of "Hope", the rapper posted vague messages on social media accusing Canadian rapper Drake of threatening to murder him alongside crude photoshopped images of Drake. XXXTentacion later hosted a benefit show for the survivors on March 18, 2018, and offered condolences to the victims of the shooting. XXXTentacion released the song "Hope" on his SoundCloud on February 21, 2018, dedicated to the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. "This albums not about the words, it's about the 'll be very hard to understand, but very easy to listen to.it's not what you're expecting, even if you feel like you understand my music, be prepared to not understand this music." The cover art was first shown on XXXTentacion's Instagram story on January 28, 2018, with the caption "coming soon". The album also features sounds similar to the Soundcloud rap scene, as XXXTentacion mumble raps over less serious themes. On other parts of the album, XXXTentacion's style resembles his underground sound pre-" Look at Me", with him portraying anger through screaming.
XXXTentacion's vocals on parts the album are less restrained and lo-fi-ish compared to 17, with his vocals over piano and acoustic guitar chords being more projected. The song "I Don't Even Speak Spanish lol" has been labelled as reggaeton pop, while "Infinity (888)" is a classic hip hop song. Composition Ī contrast to 17, the album features an array of genres, including alternative rock, emo, trap, acoustic, and cloud rap.
The track listing and release date was confirmed by XXXTentacion on March 12, 2018, via social media. Īfter the release of A Ghetto Christmas Carol, XXXTentacion announced he was preparing three new albums and eventually announced the titles of the albums as Bad Vibes Forever, Skins, and ?, after being released on house arrest on December 23, 2017. Following the release of the album, he announced he was quitting music due to negativity and backlash, though he eventually signed a $6 million one-album deal with Caroline Distribution and released A Ghetto Christmas Carol EP on his SoundCloud on December 11, 2017. XXXTentacion released his debut studio album, 17 in August 2017 to commercial success. An anniversary deluxe edition of the album was originally going to be released on July 26, 2019, but was pushed back to September 6, 2019, featuring the album's instrumentals, A Ghetto Christmas Carol, voice memos from the recording sessions of the album, and new material featuring American rapper Rico Nasty and Japanese video game composer Yoko Shimomura. with " Mo Money Mo Problems" in 1997.Īt the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, ? was nominated for Top Billboard 200 Album, among other nominations. Following XXXTentacion's death on June 18, 2018, "Sad!" topped the Billboard Hot 100, where XXXTentacion became the first act to earn a posthumous Hot 100 number-one single as a lead artist since The Notorious B.I.G. It was supported by three singles: " Sad!", " Changes", and " Moonlight". The album has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). ? received generally positive reviews from critics, and became XXXTentacion's first US number-one album, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with 131,000 album-equivalent units earned in its first week. On other parts of the album, XXXTentacion's style resembles his underground sound, with him screaming. XXXTentacion's vocals on parts the album are less restrained and lo-fi-ish compared to 17, with his vocals on introspective songs over piano and acoustic guitar chords being more projected. The album was primarily produced by frequent collaborator John Cunningham, and includes guest appearances from PnB Rock, Travis Barker, Joey Badass, and Matt Ox.įeaturing more live instrumentation than 17, ? features an array of genres, including acoustic, emo, alternative rock, trap, and cloud rap. It succeeds the release of his debut studio album 17 (2017) and the extended play A Ghetto Christmas Carol (2017). It was released on March 16, 2018, by Bad Vibes Forever, Caroline Distribution, and Capitol Music Group. ? is the second studio album by American rapper XXXTentacion and his last studio album to be released before his death.