XXXtentation is receiving a lot attention after dropping his recent album “17” on August 25, 2017.

The 19-year-old rapper emerged as one of rap’s most popular 2017 mumble rapper. Mumble rappers receive hate from the majority of the rap community for their inability to produce poetic lyrics. XXXtentation specifically receives hate and ridicule for his up tempo music whose purpose is not to convey a message or tell a story, but for the sole purpose of partying.

However, his latest album “17” has shed the label of being a mumble rapper and propelled himself into a category of his own. XXXtenation separates himself from the label with the choice of beats and melodies on “17”. XXXtentation switches up his style by implementing smooth-hand mellow composition of different classical instruments.

As the sound has changed so has the message. “17” is a collection of different songs that speaks about his personal experience with depression. He shied away from his usual up-tempo party music and portrayed a story through 11 tracks.

The first track of the album is “The Explanation”, which explains his purpose for creating the album. Here, XXXtentation paints his personal experiences with depression and suicidal thoughts, establishing the narrative for the rest of the album.

“17” aims to heal people or numb someone’s depression. There are few rap artists that are comfortable speaking about their darkest times in life. The artist pulled a bold move addressing the issue of depression.

The album by all means is not pretty. The second track “Jocelyn Flores” sets the tone. In “Jocelyn Flores”, XXXtentation depicts the ugliness of depression. The mood was set in the first verse “I’m in pain, wanna put ten shots in my brain”. The realism of this scenario is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. From the tone in his voice you can feel XXXtentation’s pain. The opening verse is extremely dark; however, it stresses the reality of his depression.

Most of the tracks on “17” are very dark and, most of the time, does not promote the recovery of depression. While listening to “17” you are shot with a load of over casted emotions. You begin to anticipate the recovery of XXXtentations depression towards the end of the album. Many will expect a happy ending but there is none and for that reason many may be disappointed.

However, hope is not lost. As shown on the 9th track, “Carry On”, all you can do is keep moving forward. XXXtentation emphasizes that although you may be in a dark place, depressed or emotionally damaged, it is necessary to carry on.

The following track, “Orland” he stresses that “no one wants death and nobody wants life to end.” XXXtentation expresses that although there may not be a cure to someone’s depression, the hope around those should motivate someone to carry on.

“17” without a doubt is not for everyone. The album for the most part is highly pessimistic. However, this is a stepping stone for the 19-year-old rapper who in previous tracks mainly rapped about partying. With the debut of “17”, XXXtentation has shown his growth as an individual and as an artist.