Burn to breathe

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HOPE -XXXTENTACION

This is a song that the late American rapper XXXTentacion dedicated to the victims of a harrowing mass killing. This incident occurred in February of 2018 at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in which seventeen people were gunned down by a former student. This event of course shook the nation, particularly residents of the state of Florida, including XXXTentacion.

The aforementioned dedication of this song is expressed outright during the track’s info. But outside of that, you would be hard-pressed to find any lyrics that specifically references mass shootings, though at the end of the chorus, X does state that he is “tired of the f*ckin’ hate”. And the thought processes that lead up to him making this statement are seemingly instigated by his personal interactions with an unnamed female. In fact just thinking about this person makes X more or less wish he were dead. Moreover he insinuates that related emotions make him feel like being ‘riotous’. Overall, the chorus may be XXXTentacion’s way of trying to chronicle the frustrations that lead to an individual committing a mass shooting, with this lady whom he is speaking of being the catalyst or a personification of such.

The bridge of the song is where you will find the meaning of the title and general purpose of the track. Here, X forsakes the aforementioned negative feelings in exchange for “envisioning a better life”. And this is not only in regards to himself but also “the rest of us”. In other words, X feels “hope for the rest of us”, with “the rest of us” probably referring to we who are still alive after these disturbing events.

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