Falling Down (Lil Peep And XXXTentacion Song)
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"Falling Down" is a song by American rappers and singers
Lil Peep Gustav Elijah Åhr (; November 1, 1996 – November 15, 2017), known professionally as Lil Peep, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He was a member of the hip-hop collective GothBoiClique, and is credited as being a leading figure of ...
and
XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gai ...
. It was included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of the former's second studio album '' Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2'' (2018). The song was posthumously released as the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from the album on September 19, 2018. The track was produced by IIVI, John Cunningham, and
Mike Will Made It Michael Len Williams II (born March 23, 1989), known professionally as Mike Will Made It (often stylized as Mike WiLL Made-It) or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hi ...
. "Falling Down" was originally a song by and written by Lil Peep and fellow American rapper and singer
iLoveMakonnen Makonnen Kamali Sheran (born April 12, 1989), better known by his stage name iLoveMakonnen (often stylized as ILOVEMAKONNEN), is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his 2014 single " Tuesday", which initially gained recognition ...
under the title "Sunlight on Your Skin", with XXXTentacion also receiving a writing credit for the final version. Following Peep's death from a
Fentanyl Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic piperidine opioid primarily used as an analgesic (pain medication). It is 30 to 50 times more Potency (pharmacology), potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its primary Medici ...
Xanax Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of moderate duration within the triazolobenzodiazepine group of chemicals called benzodiazepines. Alprazolam is most commonly prescribed in the ...
overdose, X encountered a snippet of the song on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
and contacted iLoveMakonnen to record a verse for it. This new version peaked at number thirteen on the U.S. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
chart, becoming Lil Peep's highest-charting single in the United States. The single has since been certified three-times Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). The song reached number one in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. It reached the top ten in a total of 17 countries, including the United Kingdom.


Background

"Falling Down" was originally recorded as "Sunlight on Your Skin" during a London studio session between
iLoveMakonnen Makonnen Kamali Sheran (born April 12, 1989), better known by his stage name iLoveMakonnen (often stylized as ILOVEMAKONNEN), is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his 2014 single " Tuesday", which initially gained recognition ...
and
Lil Peep Gustav Elijah Åhr (; November 1, 1996 – November 15, 2017), known professionally as Lil Peep, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He was a member of the hip-hop collective GothBoiClique, and is credited as being a leading figure of ...
as part of the collaboration project ''
Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...
''. The producer claimed the lyrics "Let's watch the rain while it's falling down" was described that at the time Lil Peep recorded the song, it was pouring outside. On November 15, 2017, Lil Peep died from an accidental Fentanyl–Xanax overdose, leaving the project unfinished. It was later omitted when the project released in 2018. The song was played on livestream by iLoveMakonnen following his death and then was uploaded to YouTube as a snippet, where
XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gai ...
heard it. XXXTentacion had not met iLoveMakonnen in person, but he did once speak with him over the phone in late 2016 when he was in prison dealing with aggravated battery charges. XXXTentacion contacted iLoveMakonnen and recorded a verse over Makonnen's in tribute of Lil Peep. X is quoted as saying that if he had seen the better side of Peep before he died then they would have been good friends. XXXTentacion was murdered on June 18, 2018.


Release and promotion

The song was released on September 19, 2018, after a long delay, being announced by Lil Peep's and XXXTentacion's mothers. XXXTentacion's mother, Cleopatra Bernard, uploaded the preview on
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
, captioning it with "From Peep's mom and I" with Makonnen claiming it was the mothers' wishes.


Controversy

While the single became a commercial success, its initial announcement was met by controversy among some of Lil Peep's friends and fans, many of whom were upset regarding the inclusion of XXXTentacion. Leading up to his own death, XXXTentacion had accrued an alleged history of violence. Moreover, at the time of the posthumous collaboration, XXXTentacion was facing multiple
domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...
charges. This indicated to some that despite sharing similar musical tastes, his values ran counter to those lived by Lil Peep, though friends of Lil Peep said that he enjoyed XXXTentacion's music. Lil Peep and XXXTentacion's attitudes towards each other while Lil Peep was alive have been described as murky.
Fish Narc Benjamin Friars-Funkhouser (b. 1992) known professionally as Fish Narc (stylized as fish narc), is an American musician and producer from Seattle, Washington. He has contributed to the development of the emo rap subgenre and as a member of underg ...
, a producer who is part of
GothBoiClique GothBoiClique (also abbreviated as GBC) is an American emo rap collective based in Los Angeles, California. It was formed in 2012 by Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, Cold Hart, and Horse Head. The group's name comes from a beat that Cold Hart sent t ...
, opposed XXXTentacion's inclusion on the song. In August 2018, Fish Narc posted a story onto
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
in which he disavowed the collaboration. He stated, " il Peepexplicitly rejected Triple X for his abuse of women, spent time and money getting Triple X's songs removed from his
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
playlists, and wouldn't have co-signed that song. Don't listen to it." Fish Narc's claims of Lil Peep rejecting associations with XXXTentacion have not been substantiated. Likewise, one of Lil Peep's closest collaborators,
Lil Tracy Jazz Ishmael Butler (born October 3, 1995), professionally known as Lil Tracy, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Butler was also known under the name Yung Bruh during the beginning of his career. Tracy is best known for his collabor ...
, said that the two artists were "never even friends nddidn't even like each other.. RIP to both of them." On the contrary, rapper
Fat Nick Nicholas Voutsinas (born September 6, 1994), known professionally as Fat Nick, is an American rapper from Miami, Florida. Initially rising to prominence alongside American rapper Pouya and their collective Buffet Boys, he is known for being a le ...
, a mutual friend of Lil Peep and XXXTentacion, said on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that right before Lil Peep died, he and Lil Peep had a conversation about XXXTentacion and had planned to meet up with him, and that XXXTentacion was "super happy about it". Fat Nick also spoke about the matter on an Instagram
livestream Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...
, where he dismissed the claims from Fish Narc and others about tension between XXXTentacion and Lil Peep, and confirmed that Lil Peep wanted to meet XXXTentacion once he was off tour. In the livestream, he also implied that members of GothBoiClique were responsible for Lil Peep's death, saying, "Some of y'all are siding with the people that took advantage of Peep. I don't get it... That's crazy. Y'all say shit about fucking X, but you're not saying shit about the people that killed il Peep.. The people that gave him fentanyl. Y'all don't say shit to them." After this, Fish Narc faced criticism for his initial statement condemning the song. Fish Narc responded on Twitter, "I feel that people think I am trying to insult X. But really I wish him rest. I protest a posthumous collab between unaffiliated artists," and clarified that he did not wish to attack XXXTentacion and that his comments were, "how I interpreted what Peep told me as a friend." Following the release of the song, Fish Narc and Lil Tracy retracted their initial statements, with Fish Narc stating that his original stance was "what esaid in anger". During an interview with '' XXL'', Makonnen defended his decision to include XXXTentacion, saying, "If Lil Peep was alive, and me and Peep are friends, and I guess I can speak for Lil Peep since it's our project together, I would say that we would be very open to talking with whoever and to making any sort of creative things happen." Makonnen mentioned the role that Lil Peep and XXXTentacion's mothers had in conception of the song. He said, "I definitely think it was like the mothers' wish. XXTentacionhad just been tragically taken away and Peep passed away as well. I think it's something both the mothers have in common. The mothers have the final say because these are their children at the end of the day." In August 2018, Lil Peep's mother, Liza Womack responded to a fan's concerns on Instagram, stating that releasing the song with XXXTentacion added onto to it was "Makonnen's choice" and not hers. However, she later relented after speaking with XXXTentacion's mother, Cleopatra Bernard. Womack also joined Bernard in receiving the Platinum plaques for "Falling Down" on Lil Peep and XXXTentacion's behalf. The rights to Lil Peep's unreleased music are owned by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. One month following the release of "Falling Down," transcripts of XXXTentacion allegedly confessing to a some of his charges were revealed to the public. According to the
Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...
State Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
's office, the tape was considered a confession by both the prosecution and XXXTentacion's defense. In an interview with ''
The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...
'', when Makonnen was asked if his perception of "Falling Down" had been changed by the news, he demurred by saying, "I don't know anything about that."


Critical reception

''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' writer Charles Holmes stated, "Lil Peep and XXXTentacion's "Falling Down" ... is a controversial, convoluted and potentially cathartic release, depending on your vantage point." Jami Tabberer of ''
Gay Star News Gay Star News (GSN) is a news website focused on events related to and concerning the global LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community. Headquartered in the UK, it is privately owned and was founded by Tris Reid-Smith, ...
'' remarked, "the guest artist on wistful bonus track Falling Down will give some
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
Is pause for thought. The late XXXTentacion, who was murdered in July ic was of course flagrantly homophobic. Lil Peep brings something gentle and searching out in him on thus bonus track, as two lost souls struggle to decipher their pain ... Listening to it with hindsight is devastating." Contradicting Tabberer's assertion, XXXTentacion had stated in interviews that he was not homophobic, and had previously declared his support for
LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...
and condemned homophobia from
hate groups A hate group is a social group that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other designated sector of society. Acco ...
. Writing for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'',
Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
called the song "undercooked," describing it as "a light-touch recording he made over a snippet of Lil Peep's music."


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


"Sunlight on Your Skin"

"Sunlight on Your Skin" is the original version of "Falling Down" recorded by American rappers Lil Peep and
iLoveMakonnen Makonnen Kamali Sheran (born April 12, 1989), better known by his stage name iLoveMakonnen (often stylized as ILOVEMAKONNEN), is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his 2014 single " Tuesday", which initially gained recognition ...
. It was released as a single on September 27, 2018.


Charts


Notes


References


External links

* * {{authority control 2018 songs 2018 singles Lil Peep songs XXXTentacion songs ILoveMakonnen songs Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Sweden Male vocal duets Songs released posthumously Song recordings produced by Mike Will Made It Songs written by XXXTentacion Songs written by Lil Peep Songs written by iLoveMakonnen Emo pop songs