The hip-hop world was stunned and saddened last night by the news of the passing of young rapper Lil Peep. The up-and-comer, who had just celebrated a birthday on November 1st, reportedly died of a drug overdose prior to a scheduled concert in Tuscon, Arizona on (November 15th). The Long Island native and Internet sensation was making a name for himself in the rap game and his sudden death got more than a few of his peers emotional. He was 21.
One of his friends in the music industry was Lil Uzi Vert, the Philly rapper who struck RIAA gold with his single "XO Tour Llif3" and his subsequent full-length studio album Luv Is Rage 2. The emcee took some time to digest the news of Lil Peep's passing and gave him a proper send-off via Twitter this afternoon, a message that you can read in full below.
Lil Uzi Vert not only paid his respects to Peep but, in an about-face of the growing Internet outcry over the circumstances of his death, isn't here to judge the man's drug usage now that he's no longer with us. "We would love 2 stop," he began, "but do you really care cause we been on Xanax all f**king year." He followed up that statement with one of tenderness for the memory of Lil Peep, saying that under no circumstances would be judging the fallen rapper. "RIP buddy I 100% understand and I don't fault you," added Uzi.
The Xanax epidemic in the hip-hop community and, in particular, among those who might be categorized as part of rap's Soundcloud generation has recently reached scary heights. This fact, combined with the rampant lean usage that continues to permeate the party scene around hip-hop music has been a cause for concern among many who think that enough is enough. Hopefully the tragic passing of Lil Peep will serve as a reminder to those who have a similar track record with substance abuse that the consequences of their actions could very well be fatal.