? received 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. The album has since been certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). ? is the most streamed hip-hop album on Spotify,amassing total of 10.3 billion streams.[4][5] At the 2019 Billboard Music Awards,? was nominated for Top Billboard 200 Album,among other nominations. 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.
Background
XXXTentacion released his debut studio album,17 in August 2017[6] to commercial success.[7] Following the release of the album,he announced he was quitting music due to negativity and backlash,[8] though he eventually signed a $6 million one-album deal with Caroline Distribution[9] and released A Ghetto Christmas Carol EP on his SoundCloud on December 11,2017.[10]
After the release of A Ghetto Christmas Carol,XXXTentacion announced he was preparing three new albums[11] and eventually announced the titles of the albums as Bad Vibes Forever,Skins,and ?,after being released on house arrest on December 23,2017.[12] The track listing and release date was confirmed by XXXTentacion on March 12,2018,via social media.[13][14]
Composition
A contrast to 17,the album features an array of genres,including alternative rock,emo,[15]trap,acoustic,[16] and cloud rap. The song "I Don't Even Speak Spanish lol" has been labelled as reggaeton pop,[16] while "Infinity (888)" is a classic hip hop song.[17] 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.[18] On other parts of the album,XXXTentacion's style resembles his underground sound pre-"Look at Me",with him portraying anger through screaming.[18]
Apple Music stated that? "Years after his death,there's a tendency to think of XXXTENTACION in metaphorical terms. His fatalistic lyrics feel designed for social media ubiquity,and his lithe,emotive vocals emit the longing and exasperation of a teenage outcast. His untimely demise made him a martyr of emo rap-a talented but tragic antihero who died before he could find catharsis. But X's legacy is best explored through his work itself,namely his sophomore album,?. Released three months before he was shot and killed,the LP sees the 20-year-old stepping into his power as a virtuosic songwriter. What once felt like incomplete sketches become fully realized portraits of a damaged soul. Over the course of 37 minutes,X swerves between emo synth-pop,soul-baring R&B,and boom bap,wielding the varied colors to paint different shades of his emotions. For "Pain = BESTFRIEND," he teams up with Travis Barker for an explosive meditation on the type of sorrow that becomes your roommate;what begins as a sullen murmur crescendos with forceful shouts. Meanwhile,for "infinity (888)," he laces a golden-age soundscape with nimble rhyme schemes that match the technical precision of collaborator Joey Bada$$. It's a sonic about-face that only the best stylistic shapeshifters can pull off,and that's really just the beginning. Whether it's industrial screamo ("Floor 555") or twinkling R&B ("changes" with PnB Rock),he operates with nuance and surprising adaptability. As a writer,he peaks with "SAD!," a song that eventually became the biggest single of his brief career. Coasting over fluttering banjo,he fuses irony,glib humor,and subtext for a pop song that camouflages emotional sadism in Top 40 infectiousness. It's twisted and brilliant-descriptors reserved for artists who find ephemeral serenity at the edge of madness."[19]
Promotion
The cover art was first shown on XXXTentacion's Instagram story on January 28,2018,with the caption "coming soon". Later that day,he explained that:
"This albums not about the words,it's about the feeling...it'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."
XXXTentacion released the song "Hope" on his SoundCloud on February 21,2018,dedicated to the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.[20][21] XXXTentacion later hosted a benefit show for the survivors[22] on March 18,2018,and offered condolences to the victims of the shooting.[23] 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.[24][25] XXXTentacion proceeded to claim his accounts were hacked whilst there was speculation he was insulting the rapper for promotion of "Sad!" and "Changes".[26]
Singles
The lead singles "Sad!" and "Changes" were released March 2,2018,for streaming and digital download.[27] "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.[28] XXXTentacion became the first act to earn a posthumous Hot 100 number-one single as a lead artist since The Notorious B.I.G. with "Mo Money Mo Problems" in 1997.[29] "Changes" debuted at number 47 on the week beginning March 13,2018,and peaked at number 18.[30] The album's third single "Moonlight" was released posthumously to rhythmic radio on August 14,2018.[31][32] "Moonlight" peaked at 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 after XXXTentacion's murder.
The Rico Nasty remix of "#ProudCatOwner" was released in August 2019 as a promotional single for the album's deluxe edition.[33]
? received positive reviews from critics. In a favorable review,online publication HotNewHipHop stated that "Despite a sagging middle section,? features some of X's most nuanced and impressive material to date",adding that "X's commitment to honoring his various influences is admirable,but it may have behooved him to spend a little bit more time on sequencing this artistic kaleidoscope."[16]XXL gave the album a positive review,and wrote "The album sonically goes every which way—a double-edge sword that can make for a dizzying,disjointed listen at times. Still,? is X's most stimulating offering to date and with a little more focus on structure and cohesion,X's best work could very well be ahead of him."[36]
? also reached number one in Canada,the Czech Republic,Denmark,Estonia,New Zealand,Norway,Slovakia,and Sweden. Following XXXTentacion's death,the album reached a new peak of number one in the Netherlands.[40] It also ascended the Billboard 200 from number twenty-four to three,earning 94,000 units.[41] As well as the United States,the album has been certified platinum in Canada,France,Italy,Sweden,and triple platinum in Denmark.
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,the EP A Ghetto Christmas Carol (2017),voice memos from the recording sessions of the album,and new material featuring American rapper Rico Nasty and Japanese video game composer Yoko Shimomura.[42]
"Changes" features uncredited vocals by PnB Rock.[45]
"#ProudCatOwnerRemix" is a remix of the 2017 track "#ProudCatOwner #IHateRappers #IEatPussy"
Stylizations
"Introduction (Instructions)" is stylized as "introduction (instructions)".
"Alone, Part 3", "Sad!", "Numb", "Smash!", and "#ProudCatOwnerRemix" are stylized in uppercase letters. For example, "Sad!" is stylized as "SAD!".
"The Remedy for a Broken Heart (Why Am I So in Love)", "I Don't Even Speak Spanish LOL", and "Before I Close My Eyes" are stylized in lowercase letters, except for the word I.
"Infinity (888)", "Going Down!", "Love Yourself", "Changes" and "Schizophrenia" are stylized in lowercase letters. For example, "Infinity (888)" is stylized as "infinity (888)".
"Pain = Best Friend" is stylized as "Pain = BESTFRIEND".
↑ "XXXTentacion Drops 2 New Tracks". Rap-Up. March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018. X's friend PnB Rock is credited as a songwriter on the track and he makes a special uncredited cameo.
↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 12.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
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