Reaching a billion streams on Spotify (or any streaming service for that matter) is not an easy feat, and also one that XXXTentacion accomplished posthumously.
The Florida rapper, who was fatally shot almost a year ago to the date (June 18), reached a new milestone with his hit single, “Sad!”
The cut, which was released as the lead single of his sophomore album ? in March 2018, doubles as his highest charting single in the U.S. and has now officially reached over one billion streams on Spotify.
Produced by XXX’s frequent-collaborator John Cunningham, the song introduces fans into the somber, complicated thoughts he often expressed on social media and through his music alike, as well as helped further establish his place as a leader in the aesthetic resurgence of emo hip hop.
“Who am I? Someone that’s afraid to let go, uh / You decide, if you’re ever gonna let me know, yeah / Suicide, if you ever try to let go, uh / I’m sad and low, yeah, I’m sad I know, yeah,” he repeatedly croons on the track.
As previously reported, the single appeared on his second album, which went on to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The song itself reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, a first for the rapper as his rise to fame was consistently growing despite the ongoing controversies that surrounded him.
The music video for the single arrived the day after his memorial service at the BB&T Center on June 28, 2018. In the visual for the track, XXXTentacion attends the funeral of his younger self and battles his demons, adding another layer of darkness to the fact that the rapper seemingly predicted his death through his art.
The song, which marks the 32nd in Spotify’s history to hit a billion streams, is nearing diamond status.
At the time of this report, XXXTentacion’s “Sad!” has 1,002,185,251 plays.