Credit: Press

XXXTENTACION‘s short but impactful career will hold significance in the rap game, possibly forever. Having only been around for a few years and devastatingly losing his life at the age of 20, his discography has left a lasting legacy. The song ‘Jocelyn Flores’ is one of the most heartbreaking songs he released.

Anyone who has heard his music will be able to tell you that X was a very disturbed individual. The recurring themes across several projects were death, depression, suicidal thoughts and abusive relationships. Which is why it was fitting for him as an artist to include the story of Jocelyn Flores.

Flores reportedly committed suicide in the bathroom of a hotel in Florida. She was staying with X along with another girl. They had been invited to model for a clothing line that X was planning to put out and had only interacted online before she accepted the job. Things apparently turned sour when X told both girls to leave after a fight broke out when he found the cash in his bag was missing. She was found dead less than 24 hours after X told her to go back home.

A few months after the terrible incident, X released the album 17 which featured the song ‘Jocelyn Flores’. The track turned out to be a hit and climbed up to number 19 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Recently, The Daily Beast reported that Flores’ family wasn’t informed that such a song was being made or even told about its release. They initially had very mixed feelings about X exploiting their daughter’s story without their consent.

In the song it is clear he was affected by Flores’s demise. He raps about the grief he felt in the wake of her death: “And ever since then, man, I hate myself, wanna f****n’ end it”.

The album 17 is only 22 minutes long, and not anything close to its predecessor Revenge in style. Deviating away from fans’ expectations, X focused more on the lyrics on 17. It definitely seemed much more thought out, and it is clear he put a lot of heart into the short but impactful album. This collection of songs made him reach new audiences and definitely brought him right under the spotlight. Kendrick Lamar, a rapper who is frequently revered as the best in the game, tweeted the album out to his followers and said it showcased “raw thoughts”.

XXXTENTACION was not a flawless human. In fact, he had displayed some strikingly violent behaviour before his untimely death which led him to gain a reputation that he can obviously no longer can work to improve. Before he was shot, X repeatedly alluded in interviews that he was trying to learn as he is growing and at such a young age, regardless of his actions, it is nothing but tragic to see him not get a chance to redeem himself.

Like all artists before and after X, he managed to turn his pain into something that can be heard and felt by all. Having produced so much quality music so early in his life, one can only imagine what he could have done if he hadn’t died so young. Regardless, ‘Jocelyn Flores’ will be remembered as one of his best songs and immortalise both him as an artist and her as a person.