The Late Lil Peep & XXXTentacion Appear Together On New Track “Falling Down”
Before his death last November, the massively influential Lil Peep recorded a song with fellow sing-rapper iLoveMakonnen, who himself had proven to be a transformative figure in hip-hop after his breakout hit “Tuesday.” Sometime afterward, before being shot dead this past June, the controversial and wildly popular XXXTentacion heard the song and asked to contribute some vocals of his own. And today, the song has been released with the cooperation of Peep and XXX’s mothers.
“Falling Down,” in its final form, does not feature Makonnen. Instead it’s billed as a duet between Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, a posthumous duet between two of the most polarizing and tragic musicians in recent memory. Makonnen is credited as a co-writer. It was produced by living legend Mike Will Made-It, arguably the greatest producer of this decade. And in keeping with both Peep and XXX’s tendency to hybridize hip-hop with emo-tinged rock music, few listeners would mistake this for a rap song. It’s basically genreless pop music, and given the way each artist’s popularity has continued to balloon after death, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be a massive hit.
On Instagram, Makonnen writes, “I posted a few weeks ago about how much it meant to me to know that this song I co-wrote with @lilpeep inspired @xxxtentacion to want to jump on and add some verses. Incredibly excited for y’all to hear it tomorrow. Thank you for supporting and thank you @kathrynhollowoak and @cleo_ohsojazzy !”
“Falling Down” is out now, and you can hear it below.