Look at Me | |
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Directed by | Sabaah Folayan |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Edited by |
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Music by | XXXTentacion |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Hulu |
Release dates |
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Running time | 113 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Look at Me is a 2022 documentary film, directed by Sabaah Folayan. It focuses on the life and death of the rapper and singer-songwriter Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, known as XXXTentacion. The film's title is named after his breakthrough single. It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 15, 2022, and was released on Hulu on May 26, 2022. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
The film was first announced on June 18, 2019, the first anniversary of the murder of XXXTentacion. The film began production around April 2017. [7] The documentary contains footage from X's last years, and contains appearances from numerous friends and family of his, including his mother Cleopatra Bernard, girlfriend Jenesis Sanchez, ex-girlfriend Geneva Ayala, and best friend and fellow rapper Ski Mask the Slump God. It also includes interviews with rappers from XXXTentacion's hip hop collective, Members Only such as Bass Santana, Cooliecut, and Kid Trunks. The documentary received widespread acclaim from critics and fans following its release.
On May 23, 2022, it was announced on by XXXTentacion's estate on his Instagram account that a compilation album, titled Look at Me: The Album would be released alongside the documentary. [8] The album was released on June 10, 2022, and was preceded by the single "True Love" with Kanye West.
The film overviews both favorable and controversial aspects of X's life and legacy.
The film features first-time interviews from X's ex-girlfriend, Geneva Ayala, who had accused him of domestic abuse in 2016. X was awaiting trial at the time of his death for charges stemming from the accusations levied by Ayala, who reveals for the first time in the documentary that she did not want X to go to jail in the first place, saying she "wasn't aware that it was all going to crumble down onto him like that." The film includes a meeting with X's mother, Cleopatra Bernard, and Ayala, in which Bernard said that she believes Ayala's accusations, commenting, "Jahseh was wrong for what he did. There's no excuse for that, period. But I just want the world to know that he wasn't that same person anymore, but the past is still part of his story." Bernard states that she believes X would have eventually publicly apologized to Ayala, but that, "He just never had a chance." Ayala commented that "a weight had finally been lifted by knowing that [X's] family doesn't hold a grudge against her." Commenting on the film, director Sabaah Folayan said, "We felt like having lost Jahseh so soon, the best thing that we can do was find a way to pull out the lessons of his life and to try to continue his mission." [9] [10] [11]
All star as themselves. Relation to XXXTentacion listed after each casting.
Look at Me: The Album is a compilation album that released alongside the documentary, which released on June 10, 2022. It was preceded by the release of a collaboration single with Kanye West entitled "True Love". [12] The album is split into two halves, and contains only songs that have already been released in some capacity; some on prior albums, and some were previously SoundCloud exclusive.
Sabaah Folayan is an American filmmaker and activist. Her debut documentary feature, Whose Streets?, on the 2014 Ferguson protests, premiered in competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
Whose Streets? is a 2017 American documentary film about the killing of Michael Brown and the Ferguson uprising. Directed by Sabaah Folayan and co-directed by Damon Davis, Whose Streets? premiered in competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, then was released theatrically in August, 2017, for the anniversary of Brown's death. It was a nominee for Critics' Choice and Gotham Independent Film awards.
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gained a cult following among his young fan base during his short career with his depression- and alienation-themed music. Critics and fans often credit him for his musical versatility, with his music exploring emo, trap, trap metal, nu metal, indie rock, lo-fi, hip hop, R&B, and punk rock. He was considered to be a leading figure in the establishment of the emo rap and SoundCloud rap genres, which garnered mainstream attention during the mid-to-late 2010s.
XXXTentacion was an American rapper who released four studio albums, one compilation album, two mixtapes, four collaborative mixtapes, ten extended plays and 29 singles. As of June 2018, he sold more than 25 million album-equivalent units in the United States. XXXTentacion was awarded for sales of over 20 million records by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of October 2020, he has sold more than 75 million records in the United States.
Bad Vibes Forever is the fourth and final studio album by American rapper and singer-songwriter XXXTentacion. It was released through Bad Vibes Forever and Empire Distribution on December 6, 2019. The production was handled by XXXTentacion himself, alongside DJ Carnage, John Cunningham, JonFX, Ronny J, XXYYXX, and among others. The album features a wide range of guest appearances from artists including PnB Rock, Trippie Redd, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Killstation, Noah Cyrus, Tom G, Tory Lanez, Mavado, Craig Xen, Kemba, Joey Badass, Sauce Walka, Carnage, Ky-Mani Marley, Stefflon Don, Vybz Kartel, Jimmy Levy, Joyner Lucas, Ikabod Veins, and Blink-182. The album serves as a follow-up to his first posthumous album and third studio album, Skins (2018).
Ronald Oneil Spence, Jr., professionally known as Ronny J, is an American record producer, singer, rapper, and songwriter. Since the mid-2010s, he has been credited with production work for several mainstream hip hop artists including Kanye West, Eminem, Denzel Curry, XXXTentacion, Token, Lil Pump, Bhad Bhabie, Juice Wrld, Sfera Ebbasta, 6ix9ine, Ski Mask the Slump God, Machine Gun Kelly, and Iggy Azalea.
? is the second studio album by American rapper XXXTentacion and his last studio album to be released before his death. It was released through Bad Vibes Forever, Caroline Distribution, and Capitol Music Group on March 16, 2018, and primarily produced by frequent collaborator John Cunningham, it includes a wide range of guest appearances from PnB Rock, Travis Barker of Blink-182, Joey Badass, Matt Ox, Rio Santana, Judah, and Carlos Andrez, and also succeeds the release of his debut studio album 17 (2017) and the extended play A Ghetto Christmas Carol (2017).
"Moonlight" is a song written and performed by American rapper XXXTentacion from his second studio album ? (2018). Produced by John Cunningham, it was originally released as the third track of the album on March 16, 2018, before being posthumously sent to rhythmic radio as the album's third single on August 14, 2018. The song reached many chart positions globally, including a #13 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as a platinum certification following his death. It's therefore tied with "Falling Down" as his third-highest-charting song in the United States, with both songs falling behind "Sad!" and Lil Wayne's "Don't Cry".
"The Remedy for a Broken Heart (Why Am I So in Love)" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American rapper XXXTentacion from his second studio album ? (2018). It was written by XXXTentacion and produced by him along with John Cunningham.
"Before I Close My Eyes" is a song by American rapper XXXTentacion from his second studio album, ? (2018). Considered by critics to be some of his best work, the song features XXXTentacion singing about his regrets of his past wrongdoings and hopes for repentance. It was written by XXXTentacion and John Cunningham, and produced by Cunningham.
Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne, known professionally as Ski Mask the Slump God, is an American rapper. He is best known for his association with XXXTentacion, with whom he formed the hip hop collective Members Only in 2014. He is notable for his nostalgic-themed musical production and public image, often clad with multi-colored durags. He signed with Victor Victor Worldwide, an imprint of Republic Records to release his debut commercial mixtape You Will Regret (2017), which entered the Billboard 200 and spawned the platinum-certified singles "BabyWipe", "Take a Step Back", and "Catch Me Outside".
"Falling Down" is a song by American rappers and singers Lil Peep and XXXTentacion. It was included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of the former's second studio album Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2 (2018). The song was posthumously released as the lead single from the album on September 19, 2018. The track was produced by IIVI, John Cunningham, and Mike Will Made It. "Falling Down" was originally a song by and written by Lil Peep and fellow American rapper and singer iLoveMakonnen under the title "Sunlight on Your Skin", with XXXTentacion also receiving a writing credit for the final version.
"Arms Around You" is a song by American rappers XXXTentacion and Lil Pump featuring Colombian singer Maluma and fellow American rapper Swae Lee. Released on October 25, 2018, it was written by producer JonFX and later sung by Rio Santana. Additional lyrics for Maluma were written by engineer Edge, JonFX, and fellow producers Skrillex and Mally Mall.
"Middle Child" is a song by American rappers PnB Rock and XXXTentacion, released from the former's second studio album TrapStar Turnt PopStar on May 3, 2019. It was produced by DatKidChris.
"Royalty" is a song by American rapper and singer XXXTentacion featuring British rapper Stefflon Don and Jamaican musicians Ky-Mani Marley and Vybz Kartel. Written alongside producer JonFX, it was released on July 19, 2019 as the lead single from the former's fourth and final studio album, Bad Vibes Forever.
"Hearteater" is a song by American rapper and singer XXXTentacion, released as the second single from his fourth studio album Bad Vibes Forever.
Donda 2 is a demo album by the American rapper Kanye West. Although unfinished, it was exclusively released on the Stem Player, with four songs made available on February 23, 2022, and additional songs later included in updates, the first of which were added the following day. West began the recording and production of the album in early January 2022, continuing into the next month. It was preceded by the singles "Eazy" and "City of Gods", released in January and February 2022 respectively—both of which peaked within the top 50 of the US Billboard Hot 100.
Look at Me: The Album is the only compilation album by American rapper XXXTentacion. Announced alongside a documentary of the same name, the album was released posthumously on June 10, 2022, 8 days before the fourth anniversary of his death. Look at Me was supported by two singles: "Vice City" and "True Love", both of which were announced early on, being previously absent from streaming services due to sample clearance problems. The album features both Ski Mask the Slump God and Kanye West.
"True Love" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and XXXTentacion. The song, which is a posthumous release for the latter, was originally included on West's demo album, Donda 2 (2022). For its single version, it was trimmed down by a minute and released by Columbia Records on May 23, 2022 in promotion for XXXTentacion's posthumous compilation album, Look at Me: The Album—serving as its second single. A slow track that features synths, it finds West discussing his estrangement from his children, while XXXTentacion croons the hook. The song was written by its performers, while production was handled by West alongside Ojivolta, Mike Dean, and John Cunningham, each of whom are also credited as co-writers.
In His Own Words is a 2022 documentary film, directed by Rob Stone and Lesley Steele. It focuses on previously unseen interviews and series of footage of the rapper and singer-songwriter XXXTentacion. It premiered on the film streaming platform Altavod on November 22, 2022. It is considered a companion film to the May 2022 XXXTentacion documentary, Look at Me.