POV: It’s 2016 and you stumble across a 3-minute song called “Beamer Boy” on SoundCloud. Noticing the single cover art is a BMW drawn with Black ink, your interest piques as you press play.
Suddenly, an instrumental begins to muster a tranquil melody and catchy ad-libs start to intertwine with the intro. What follows is one of the most memorable verses in rap music.
In an instant, the song is over and you research the artist you started to become enamored with through this song. His name is Lil Peep, a teenager residing in Long Island who is anticipating his big break in the underground rap scene.
10 years later with over 195,000 daily listeners and accumulating 606 million streams across digital services on this song alone, Lil Peep became the dreamer boy everyone grew to love.
In a commemorative blog post written by rapper and producer Nedarb, he reflects on the creative process and what it was like collaborate with Peep:
“A little over five years ago, peep and i met online through mutual underground musicians. him and i were both featured on a song together, and it was the first time i heard his vocals…These 6 songs are some of the most important pieces of music I have ever been apart of. They marked a new era of Peep. It was Peep’s most honest and heartfelt lyrics that I personally had heard yet. It opened new doors in terms of production style and experimenting with new vocal melodies, range, cadences & new song topics. I knew Peep was special and that these songs were good but we had no idea how big these songs would end up getting. ‘Beamerboy’ was a single from this EP. When we made it, we were just like ‘Sick, this is hard. Onto the next one.’ That’s hilarious to me!”
Following Nedarb’s reminiscence, screenshots of their conversation via Twitter DMs are shown of them bringing the California Girls EP to life. Peep then messaged Nedarb and to his surprise, Peep sent:
Lil Peep: “Dude I jus made the dopest video to beamerboy”
“Like edited it myself tho so it’s super weird”
Nedarb: “that’s my fav one so far”
Lil Peep: “U like the new track?”
*Sends screenshot of the EP tracks on SoundCloud titled “GIRLS EP COMING SOON”*
After “beamer boy” gained traction as a standalone track off California Girls, Peep soared to popularity and released several projects that year. From junior EP Crybaby (June 2016), fourth mixtape HELLBOY (September 2016), and collaborative mixtape CASTLES II (February 2017) with Lil Tracy, Peep emerged as a star; being recognized as rap’s most prominent figure in the underground.
In August 2017, Peep announced his long-awaited debut album, Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 1. Receiving praise from fans and other artists in the scene alike, Peep’s debut was unlike any other. With elements of familiarity from previous records, listeners had the opportunity to dive into his sacred universe.
However, this moment of critical acclaim was followed by the tragic and unexpected loss of Lil Peep. Devastating his family as well as his peers and millions of supporters worldwide, Peep left behind a community he established based on authenticity, emotional vulnerability, and being unapologetically yourself.
Today, Peep’s legacy continues to live on through the stories, blog posts, and archival projects his mother (Liza Womack) and close friends curate through his official website. On special occasions, songs are recognized on social media, with original demos being remastered and officially published by Peep’s estate.
In nostalgic fashion, it goes without saying fans feel like they’re being taken back in time. Although bittersweet, Peep’s legacy will live on forever through every lyric that made us feel less alone.
Here’s to the next decade.
Keep up with Lil Peep’s estate here: Instagram // X // Facebook // Youtube // Spotify // Apple Music // Soundcloud // Website
