Billie Eilish Performs XXXTENTACION Tribute Song During Oakland Concert

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Fans leave art outside the XXXTentacion Funeral & Fan Memorialat BB&T Center on June 27, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida.
Billie Eilish pays tribute to the late XXXTENTACION during a recent concert.

It's been over four months since the death of XXXTENTACION and many are still trying to come to terms with the fact that the rapper is gone. Although his name was surrounded by controversy, the rapper undoubtedly had a positive impact on the lives of his fans and his friends. Billie Eilish is one of those people who X uplifted and during a recent concert, she debuted a new song in tribute to the late rapper.

During the first show on her 1 By 1 tour in Oakland, California, Billie Eilish debuted a new song titled, "6.18.18." The song is a tribute to XXXTENTACION. Ahead of performing the song, Eilish got on the piano and said, "I got into my emotions," before jumping into the song. The song's title is derived from the day that XXXTENTACION was shot and killed in Deerfield Beach, FL after leaving a high-end motorcycle shop. 

Eilish shared screenshots of her text and FaceTime conversations with XXXTENTACION on the day he passed.

"the strongest human being ive ever known. all you ever did was care. i love you jah," she wrote. "this is so, so painful."

Aside from Eilish's tribute at her concert, XXXTENTACION posthumously won two awards at the BET Hip-Hop Awards and The AMA's this year. His mother accepted the awards on X's behalf for Best New Artist at the BET Hip-Hop Awards and "Favorite Soul/R&B Album" at the AMA's.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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