Jan. 22, 2020
By Joe Arino-Sandomenico
Editor
Usually this column is more lighthearted, but with the untimely death on Dec. 8 of Juice WRLD, who had been dealing with a serious drug addiction, I felt like the subject of emo rap needed to be addressed.
Emo rap is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a genre of rap with sad lyrics about dark topics. Combine this with a mellow or strong beat, and you have possibly the most hard-hitting, close-to-home song you can imagine.
The most famous rappers known for creating this kind of music are Juice WRLD, Lil Peep, Mac Miller, Trippie Redd and XXXTENTACION. This list is more interesting than you may think because all of them except for Trippie Redd are deceased.
Many people—parents and grandparents in particular—wonder why this genre is so popular. In my opinion, the reason why emo rap has become so prevalent in the past half decade is because of the rise in depression among teens and young adults. Since emo rap focuses on sad experiences to which Gen Z can relate, these artists help them feel like they’re not alone.
Emo rap songs tend to focus on four main conflicts: betrayal, death, drugs and heartbreak.
Realist and emo rapper NF explores betrayal in his hit song “How Could You Leave Us.” His mother died from an overdose, and in this song, NF continuously questions why she would abandon him and their family. This song touches on all four topics, but it mostly delves into his mom’s betrayal of the family when she kills herself.
In less extreme forms, everyone has experienced some type of betrayal in his or her life. Personally, I’ve had friends betray me all the time. Because betrayal is such a common theme, it is so relatable, which makes this song a good listen.
The next matter that characterizes emo rap is death. This subject can include suicide, but in Juice WRLD’s song “Rich and Blind,” which was inspired by the deaths of XXXTENTACION and Lil Peep, he raps, “I remember lil’ bro now he laying in the dirt.” Here, he tackles the sadness of losing these young artists.
As a fan of XXXTENTACION and Lil Peep, it was difficult dealing with the fact that some of my favorite artists are no longer around to make music to help me. As sad as it is, everyone has gone through death, whether it’s with friends or family, and being able to connect with someone who shares that same grief can be relieving.
The third idea explored in emo rap is the use of drugs to deal with pain. In XXXTENTACION’s song “a remedy for a broken heart,” he explains how mixing drugs and money makes it easier to handle his complicated relationship.
Think about that for a second: this song is so popular and played by so many—including me—but it condones the use of drugs. Most people can’t fathom why anyone would enjoy such a song, and yes, the use of drugs in the song is problematic.
What makes “a remedy for a broken heart” so relatable is not the drugs but rather the emotional experience. We’ve all tried to get some type of feeling out of our heads. Since there is someone voicing our thoughts, the relatability of the subject makes listening to this type of music much more appealing.
The last topic, which is the most common, is heartbreak. On Trippie Redd’s most recent album “A Love Letter To You 4,” his pilot song “Leray” is about his relationship with a girl that fell apart after a few months. In the song, he reminisces about that relationship and how fortunate it was that they weren’t meant to be. The first half of the song is solely acoustic, and then towards the end of the song, the beat transitions into something more mellow.
This is a topic that I—and I’m sure many members of my generation—identify with. Based on my experiences, it seems that dating and breakups are more common now than ever before. Yes, it is sad to emotionally lose someone in that sense, but the fact that the topic of the song was so relatable made it much better.
It is crazy that people, including me, actually enjoy listening to this type of music. Emo rap is basically like therapy, but instead of you talking to someone about what’s on your mind, you can listen and relate to someone else doing it through a song. When you listen to it, ironically enough, the sadness feels good. At this point, I can classify being sad as an addiction.
Everyone is dealing with their own issues, and if hearing that someone else has gone through the same struggle helps, then let them listen to the music they prefer. It is better than them doing something to harm themselves or others.
On Dec. 1, Juice WRLD tweeted, “This life is yours do what tf you want do great things and change the world don’t let no one tell you [expletive]… and you’ll be bigger than ‘juice wrld’ will ever be, and he’s going down as a legend – Jarad.”
Juice WRLD did great things by using his music to create a safe space for people going through tough times and good times. My favorite artist, like he tweeted, will always be remembered as a legend.
R.I.P. Juice WRLD.
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