The much anticipated documentary which gives a detailed insight of the rise of rapper XXXTentacion is finally about to premieres this month on Hulu — XXXTentacion was originally named as Jahseh Onfroy — who successfully completed his journey from being a normal Florida teenager to one of most-streamed SoundCloud artist even after his untimely death in 2018.
Directed by Sabaah Folayan, “Look At Me: XXXTentacion” gives the fans a closer look to the rapper’s incredible musical talent, mental health struggles, bipolar disorder and acts of violence that left an unforgettable impact on him and his entire family before he passed at the age of 20. Documentary progresses with the support of commentary from family, friends and previous romantic partners, the main motive of the documentary is to presents a sensitive narrative of the artist who was loved by most, despised by some, but the best part is that no one ever could overlook him.
In the previously released trailer, the rapper with sad heart apologetically admitted with his statement, “I haven’t been getting the help I really want.” In the documentary his mother shared the information that he would hear voices at night from his room where he couldn’t sleep because of his disorder.
The never-before-seen footage highlights XXXTentacion’s —standing for unknown temptation — open battle with his never ending mental health issues and turned his emotional challenges and made music out of it for with similar issues as him and those who felt as he felt. Within the documentary, he sings the chorus to what became his hit song, “Sad!,” which rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 soon after the rapper’s death due to an apparent robbery.
“Sad!” is about his struggles with severe depression brought on by issues in his romantic relationship. He had legal issues that racked up 15 felonies relating to domestic violence altercations from an ex-girlfriend in 2016. In the doc, her relationship was “kind of like a fairytale but a really grim one” and how she thought he was changing, but “he hurt others and himself.”
By highlighting one of his hit songs, “Look At Me,” the nearly two-hour documentary portrays how the rapper wanted redemption not only for his fans, family or friends but also for himself.
“For someone struggling very openly, to put that on a stage and to offer it up for public consumption, I think is a very special type of courage and service that artists do. [X] was open about his issues. He didn’t necessarily win his battle before we lost him, but he gave us a space to talk about mental health and his internal struggle,” director Sabaah Folayan told Billboard.
The documentary portrays his openness and courage as he fearlessly faces each and every challenge of his life, which is the why most of his songs are influenced by these emotional roller coasters. He was this popular among youth as their was some relatable aspects to his art where people see his hardships and struggles and how he became what people ever recognised as XXXTentacion.
“Look At Me: XXXTentacion Documentary” premieres Wednesday on Hulu.
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