XXL released the profile interview for 2017 XXL Freshman Class selection XXXTentacion on Friday, June 30. In his short time in the industry, the Florida rapper has already created a huge buzz on the merits of his wild concerts alone. The "Look At Me" artist is inviting listeners of all genres to take a closer look at him though, as he insists his catalog will appeal to the broader spectrum of popular music, thanks to his diverse influences.
"Like I was always into like, different music. I think I make that clear with like, the music I distribute ... All this shows the significance of myself as an artist, going from like typical rap to new age rap to like an old school r&b and switching my genres," X says in the interview.
While critics have bunched the past couple of XXL Freshman Classes together as a knock against the publication for what they believe is a shift away from the roots of hip-hop, XXXTentacion defends his own addition to the Freshman Class as evidence that XXL is, in fact, forwarding the culture. In listening to him speak, it would be difficult to group an artist like X in with someone like Lil Yachty who as a 2016 selection has carried the banner of a youth who he claimed didn't care much for old school rap. XXXTENTACION for one feels it important to appeal to purists and claims to bring them along on his back with songs like "Riot" and "Rare, Part 2."
For his part, X says he is looking to run the entire gamut in shaping hip-hop into a more universal music through his work. "I swear to god bro, like, anybody can f**k with my s**t. Black, White, Asian, Indian, Muslim; I want anybody and everybody to be able to f**k with my s**t. That's the whole goal, to unite everyone," he says.
Source: instagram.com
