Those paying attention to the now dominant music genre of hip-hop and rap may have noticed a rising trend reaching the mainstream. With artists like Lil Uzi Vert and the late Lil Peep, the goth/punk scene has been invading the charts, leaving casual listeners wondering where all of these sad bangers came from.

Lil Uzi Vert’s hit song “XO TOUR Llif3” took home the 2017 VMAs award for Song of the Summer and has gone four times platinum, equating to four million units sold. If not paying attention, the track comes off as an upbeat, melodic trap ballad one could easily workout to. However, upon paying attention, the lyrics reveal a very solemn meaning and story behind the song. Uzi croaks out cries of desperation in the chorus, singing of how his friends are gone and he is about to be pushed off the edge, and that the material possessions he has gained through his stardom will not save him this time. Why is this song so appealing to the masses, as it has topped the charts nearly all of 2017? When Uzi performs XO TOUR Llif3 at concerts, it is not a sad, reflective environment. Everyone is bouncing around and chanting the lyrics while Uzi does the same.

The late Lil Peep, who died Nov. 15, 2017, has been a focus of the hip-hop community especially since his early death. Peep’s music was driven by his sad, goth personality, with several songs detailing his depression and mental issues he deals with. His popularity can largely be due to this theme, as most all of his fans seem to have one thing in common: they were helped through their own depression through Peep’s music. The hip-hop themes in Peep’s songs certainly do not overshadow his vulnerable moments, maybe like Lil Uzi Vert’s XO TOUR Llif3 does, with his vocals at the forefront making sure the listener understands his pain. Peep’s legacy has had a huge impact on the industry, cementing the goth influence in hip-hop as an important one.