XXXTentacion Drops First Posthumous Album ‘SKINS’ (Review)

It has been less than half a year since the Florida-based rapper XXXTentacion has passed away due to a fatal gun shooting in the streets in broad daylight. Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy AKA X AKA XXXTentacion was only 20-years-old when he was shot down in Florida by suspects Trayvon Newsome and Michael Boatwright. Even after the rapper’s passing, several tracks completed by him were released as promotional singles which gave us hopes for the release of the 2018 album ‘SKINS.’

‘SKINS’ is the third studio album by XXXTentacion, following ’17’ in 2017 and ‘?’ in March 2018. This is his first posthumous album, but if there is going to be a second is doubtful. Between the rapper’s death in June 2018 and the album release in December 2018, X’s camp released several songs. “Moonlight,” “Arms Around You” and “BAD!” are to name a few. All music released have been approved by X’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard.

‘SKINS’ album was released on December 7, 2018, 5 months after the rapper’s passing. The album is going viral as of now due to the unique beats, vivid lyrics and the obvious emotional attachment to the late rapper. We notice that the songs are quite short in length, the entire 10-tracks on the album totaling up to 19 minutes of play time. However, X talked about this album in early 2018 which confirmed the same;

“I’m gonna make this album super short. They’re literally gonna be like a minute.”

XXXTentacion on album ‘SKINS.’

The album cover art is a picture of X from a live performance. X may have had a different idea for the album art.

Full Tracklist of ‘SKINS’ by XXXTentacion

• Introduction
• Guardian angel
• Train food
• whoa (mind in awe)
• BAD!
• STARING AT THE SKY
• One minute Ft. Kanye West
• difference 
• I don’t let go
• what are you so afraid of

The entirety of X’s 2018 album takes an ominous nature. Songs such as “Guardian Angel” talks about the severe pain experienced by him throughout the losses he endured as friends and family. “Train food” talks about his meeting with Death as a person, and how it turned out to be the end of his journey. In “One minute” Kanye West raps about dealing with a world of hate when you are at the top and speak out your mind, where X joins into for a scream on how he is eagerly waiting for death.

However, ‘SKINS’ is not all death and despair. The promotional single “BAD!” released in November 2018, speaks about a girl who is so hot and sexy that she is viewed as bad. In “I don’t let go,” X talks about his only reasons for holding onto life is the thought of hurting the people around him if he doesn’t. We also see him looking to the skies as ways of calming his troubled mind in “STARING AT THE SKY.”

Even though, X sings about his troubled mind, he talks about his troubled past and how that motivates him to make it big as an artist in “whoa (mind in awe)” song. X’s mother has been with him throughout all his troubles and in this song we find him confessing to his mother how he is going to take care of all of them.

This album is tasteful, vivid and a true reflection of XXXTentacion as an artist. We are expecting the album to debut on Billboard 200 chart in the coming week. 

Full album is available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon and other streaming networks.

Let us know what you think about ‘SKINS’ album by XXXTentacion. What is your favorite track on the album and why? Leave a comment below.