Steve 'Flash' JuonThe unfortunate legacy of XXXTentacion is that his fame only increased after he was murdered. “SKINS” debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200, his second straight album to do so, coming out just six months after he was gunned down in June 2018. His untimely demise made it impossible to even film a music video for the lead single “BAD!,” but much like the late Tupac Shakur the label got around this impediment by creating an animated video instead. Producers John Cunningham and Robert Soukiasyan laced the track with the kind of trippy ambient music and heavy bass that best suited X’s tendency to croon, and sneak previews went viral before the full song even came out.
Going back over his catalogue I realized I enjoyed “Bad Vibes Forever” far more, which puts me directly at odds with the meta for critics of that CD, but not so much for this one. His final posthumous release felt like an actual “album” to me, even if it was drowning in celebrity cameos which may or may not have been what he wanted. “SKINS” on the other hand was exceedingly short, clocking in at just under 20 minutes, and had the unfortunate distinction of including a Kanye West cameo at a time when I was already well sick of ‘Ye and his antics. I skip over the ironically named “One Minute” every time even though at 3:17 it’s actually the longest cut here.
The meta and I do agree on one thing though — the short length of “SKINS” isn’t the problem, nor is it the troublesome Yeezy’s appearance (if I’m being honest “One Minute” doesn’t deserve my wrath). The harsh reviews owe entirely to the fact that this album feels like a few actual songs combined with a lot of unfinished ideas. “whoa (mind in awe)” sums up this problem well. Cunningham’s track sounds great, but the late Mr. Onfroy had so little to say on it he spends the majority of it crooning “ohhh-whoa-ohhh” and feels non-existent on his own track.
Was this the true form of the song as XXXTentacion intended? He’s not around to ask so we’ll never know, but we do know a lot of things changed before “SKINS” released. His original cover art shared to social media was plastered with police caution tape, which given that he was gunned down probably hit too close to home for good taste. Still it just goes to show that we don’t know how many things changed from Onfroy’s vision before this album dropped. My personal sense is that tracks like “I don’t let go” are probably as intended though, because his willingness to shift back and forth between crooning and rapid fire rapping can’t be manufactured in post. Unfortunately the mix leaves his vocals barely audible and relies on a heavy bass drop to carry the presentation.
Upon further inspection I like “SKINS” more now than I did in 2018, but I still feel like there were many areas that could have been improved had Onfroy taken charge of the product in a meaningful way. His death has forever tainted any chance of knowing what this album could or should have been. While “Bad Vibes Forever” goes in the opposite direction by being excessively overproduced it at least got the finishing touches his first posthumous release didn’t. It’s still a good listen but not by any means a classic so if you only bought “BAD!” a la carte I wouldn’t blame you.