[Note: I recommend shuffling the playlist linked at the bottom of the page while you read, just to get an idea of the “sound” of Lil Peep that is referenced throughout.]
Gustav Elijah Åhr, known by many as Lil Peep, had acquired quite a following by the point of his untimely passing at the age of 21, due to an overdose on fentanyl laced Xanax. Despite the artist’s lack of official projects, his many mixtapes and singles found on Soundcloud propelled him to stardom on the underground scene, garnering the support of many who found refuge and relatability in his music.
Gus was born in Pennsylvania but spent most of his childhood in Long Island, New York. He lived with his mother but spent a lot of time with his grandfather, who had a heavy influence on Gus. When he was 18 he began releasing music on Soundcloud under the name Lil Peep. His name came from his childhood nickname, “Peep”, which his mother gave him after seeing his big brown eyes when he was a baby. After several early releases, the most prominent of which were Live Forever and Crybaby, Lil Peep released the album titled Hellboy, which really marked a breakthrough in his music. It was this project that really produced Lil Peep fans around the world. After going on tours for Hellboy, Peep recorded his first studio album, Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 1 in 2017. Unfortunately, this same year he passed. There is conspiracy about his death, one which claims that his management constantly supplied him with various drugs and wanted him to overdose so that his tour would be cancelled. Regardless, his death sent shockwaves throughout his fanbase and much of the rap community in general due to the abruptness, the realization of how much he did for the music industry, and his overall amiability.
So what exactly did Lil Peep do for the music industry? In the documentary film titled Everybody’s Everything (a film on Netflix that I would recommend if you are interested in learning more about Lil Peep), musician and record producer Rob Cavallo had some very powerful things to say of Lil Peep’s ingenuity:
“People don’t realize actually how hard it is to take an established style of music or styles of music and combine them together and make something new, and that’s what the greatest stars of the world did. You know you can talk about Prince, for example, and if he’s taking from the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix and Parliament and Funkadelic and others and mixing it together, and it becomes Prince. Lil Peep was a guy who was fascinating to me because he was basically doing the same thing if he was taking Green Day and My Chemical Romance and his favorite trap and hip-hop music, and marrying those styles to create something new. You got to be kind of a genius to be able to do that kind of stuff and make it work, and he was.”
Peep’s unique mix of the trap/hip-hop sound with elements of alternative and rock, while also incorporating emo and punk was something truly incredible. It is a sound that is very difficult to describe, but it is one that is very distinct. Gus’ true genius lies in the fact that he created his own sound. This is a you-know-it-when-you-hear-it sound. Lil Peep, along with other Gothboiclique members such as Lil Tracy, paved the way for other artists in that this style of music was new and experimental. It can even be argued that Lil Peep gave rise to the “emo-rap” generation of music, which would include more well known artists such as XXXTENTACION and Juice WRLD. His abrupt and tragic passing unfortunately cut short what could have been a larger than life career. In around only 3 or 4 years Lil Peep made a name for himself, but even more monumental than that he fused together so many different genres of music to create a new feeling that so many of his fans experienced.
Below I linked my playlist of — in my opinion — Lil Peep’s best Soundcloud songs. I obviously recommend his most well known albums: Crybaby, Hellboy, Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 1, and Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 2. However, these can all be found on Apple Music or Spotify. There are so many gems on Soundcloud that really reveal Lil Peep and his sound. I highly suggest giving this playlist a listen if you want to get a better idea of Lil Peep’s sound, or if you’re already a Peep fan and want to potentially add some new songs to your list. Regardless, Peep’s music is really unique and special and I would certainly suggest him to anyone.
I really liked the quote, “People don’t realize actually how hard it is to take an established style of music or styles of music and combine them together and make something new, and that’s what the greatest stars of the world did”. I didn’t really think about an individual’s sound until now. I liked how you added a playlist at the bottom this time
I like that you left a not at the top of this post stating to listen to the playlist at the bottom of the page while reading. I really like Lil Peep’s music and vibe. Once again, your posts are very well laid out and explained. Nice job.
I have listened to some Lil Peep but never really got into his music. I definitely understand why people enjoy his music and why his passing was so tragic. I never knew about the conspiracy theory surrounding his death though. I would be curious to know what you think of other Soundcloud rappers that became more mainstream.
I never really listened to Lil Peep, but I do know the song Falling Down. That song is so sad to me knowing they both passed away. Thanks for the new info!