82. Lil’ Peep - “Kiss (Prod. Smokeasac)”

I’ve never quite known what to think of Lil’ Peep. I can’t sincerely say that I think any of his music is objectively ‘good’. However, there is something incredibly alluring to it that makes it ‘good’, but in a purely subjective sense. I attribute this allure to my age. I’m a product of the time and space in which I was born, which means I’m child of Pop Punk and Emo. It’s the genre that first began to shape and chisel away at my musical tastes, which makes Lil’ Peep’s homage to the genre almost reminiscent. It plays on my nostalgia, calling out to those young and malleable days of youth, when the tone of a song or one specific lyric could suddenly get stuffed with meaning and seemingly change the trajectory of my hormone-ridden life. It’s a powerful feeling that’s hard to resist, and so I can’t help but be somewhat drawn (even if its against my will) to the music of Lil’ Peep and GOTHBOICLIQUE as a whole.

I’m not going to get into the whole culture surrounding Lil’ Peep, or even Lil’ Peeps death. As with all deaths, it’s a tragedy. No matter what I think of his music, he had talent and vision, but more than that he was a young man struggling with addiction, mental health and the microscope of fame. I appreciate what he did, and I hope that the candor of his lyrics, as well as the progressive spirit of his sound, will continue to challenge Hip-Hop and music as a whole as it progresses into the future, borrowing from the past, blending genres, and stumbling across ever knew frontiers.