Fxxxxy

Texas-based rapper/songwriter/producer FXXXXY taught himself the core elements of beatmaking and production in his teens and he slowly began making his own songs. A hybrid of melodic, bouncy rap and hazy R&B singing, FXXXXY's songs took shape on 2016's hypnotic EP Cartel Shawty and grew on collaborations with rappers Lil Durk and Gunna. FXXXXY was born in Texas and moved around the West Coast before his family settled back in Dallas when he was in his early teens. Inspired by his mother's love of soul music and his father's affinity for golden-era hip-hop, he began exploring music creation with some of his father's instruments. In a few years' time, he was making beats and writing rhymes of his own for material that drew from sultry old-school R&B tunes as well as more modernized rap drum programming. His first songs appeared online in 2015, and he released his first collection of tracks with the Cartel Shawty EP the following year. Another EP, Flawed Up Shawty, arrived in 2017, and critical buzz began accumulating around FXXXXY's multifaceted rapping and production styles. In 2018, even more listeners took notice when FXXXXY teamed up with Gunna for the mellow piano-driven "Need U" as well as the trap-lite single "Follow Me" featuring Lil Durk. More singles followed, with "Self Care," "Staying Single," and "Home" arriving throughout 2019. FXXXXY died on September 17, 2020, due to complications from a routine medical procedure; he was 25 years old. ~ Fred Thomas