Lil Peep passed away tragically while on tour in Arizona. (Photo courtesy of Pitchfork)

Kelly Skelton
Connector Editor

Gustav Ahr, better known by his stage name, Lil Peep, was unlike any other artist to come before him. Unable to categorize from the start, Peep was a brilliant mixture of rap, punk, rock and hip-hop. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old Long Island native passed away tragically while on tour in Tucson, Arizona. The toxicology report would cite a fentanyl overdose as the cause of death.

Despite his passing, the music and personality of Lil Peep have lived on. With new music such as “Spotlight” (featuring Marshmello) being released, fans are still getting the opportunity to hear the voice of their beloved musician. With speculation of more music on the way, Liza Womack, Lil Peep’s mother, expressed her excitement toward hearing more of her son’s music. “I am thrilled that Gus’s work continues to be released.  He was incredibly hard-working and loved meeting new musical artists that he felt he could collaborate with.  I am grateful to the artists who are releasing the music they worked on together,” said his mother.

From the debut of his hit song “Beamer Boy” in 2016, Lil Peep had the weight of the world on his shoulders. After breaking into the music scene with a rap-first appearance, he showed off his versatile and emotional talent with tracks such as “Girls” and “Awful Things”. Peep was never an artist to hide emotion, something that made him so relatable to younger audiences.

Peep’s unique clothing choices proved that his fashion could well be in the near future for his career. As his mother noted, he enjoyed mixing designer clothing with streetwear to create his own sense of style. Bright colors and intricate patterns were never in shortage when it came to Peep’s wardrobe.

The rock star’s honesty and simplicity stood out in a genre that is currently oozing with creativity. Noting the confusion that his persona caused, Peep predicted that the music industry would soon lose the ability to label artists as one-dimensional. “I think that people are going to have to stop putting people and genres into boxes. They don’t even have to really label it anymore,” said Peep in his Montreality interview.

When asked about folks looking back on Peep’s career, his mother detailed her interest in remembering her son’s creativity and overall character. “I look forward to future generations seeing how he re-fashioned musical styles, or genres into a completely new genre.  He was a trend-setter.  Most of all, he was a generous person in every way.  He went out of his way to help others–people you will never know about.  He had only just begun his work to really try to change the world,” said his mother.

The response in regards to drug awareness has been uplifting, as the dangers of un-prescribed pills have been addressed by some of the world’s most popular music artists. Many of Lil Peep’s peers in the hip-hop community have been vocal about their efforts to eliminate the use of Xanax, a drug that has long been glorified by the rap world. Artists such as Lil Pump, SmokePurpp, and Lil Uzi Vert have all expressed a plan to steer away from the once popular pill.