Music.  Music is seen all around campus by students every day.  XXXTentacion, Mac Miller, and Lil Peep were three artists who were frequently listened to by students.

“Music helps people through what they are going through in their lives, it reflects who you are,” senior Dillion Nelson said.

These three artists who many listened to recently passed away. The word quickly spread through social media.  Many students here on campus posted about the death of at least one of these rappers.

“XXXTentacion and Lil Peep got me through some rough times, most people think it is just depressing but if you are going through some stuff you have to feel the lyrics,” Nelson said.

Rappers in our generation rap about the same things: sex, money, and drugs.  Most rappers gain their fame through advertisement and label deals.  This is where Lil Peep, Mac Miller, and XXXTentacion differ from other rappers.  All three of these artists did not need labels, sponsors or advertisements to blow up.  They gained listeners through their lyrics due to the way they changed the sound and look of hip-hop.

“What made them different wasn’t just about fame, it was about the music they put out, through their words and sound it set them apart from the usual sound that we used to know as hip-hop,” junior Devon Dedinas said.

Not everyone can relate to the music that they put out.  And many people only began to listen to these artists once they were gone.  Lil Peep once said, “When I die you’ll love me.”

“I believe 100% that once they died everyone hopped on a bandwagon. They did it to be cool and fit in,” Junior Brycen Ward said.

Even though these rappers are not here with us anymore, their music will live on forever.  The music of these three artists did not only touch the ones who listened but gave a face to the new evolving hip-hop culture.  Legends never die, and these legends will live through their music.

“It’s not about popularity that will carry their name after death. They sent a different message for those who listened, and that message will never die,” Dedinas said.