PnB Rock released his highly-anticipated album TrapStar Turnt PopStar in May, which hailed all-star features from Quavo, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Lil Skies, Diplo, Lil Durk, and even a posthumous feature from XXXTentacion. Now, “Middle Child” gets the visual treatment — beautifully highlighting the late rapper, positively.
The two-and-a-half minute visual displays a young boy rocking XXXTentacion’s signature blue dreads, immediately bringing in the “Fuck Love” artist’s spirit and energy for all those tuning in. Born Jahseh Onfroy, the rapper was shot and murdered in broad daylight in Florida, passing away at 20 years young.
The music video highlights a genuine friendship between two boys (depicting a younger XXX and Rock), as they prep and setup for their trap juice stand. The intimacy comes in their relationship and the reality of having to hustle as young kids on the streets. Together, they make use of their resources and work hard to sell and earn their money.
“Middle Child” is produced by DatKidChris, with both artists trading bars flexing their wealth and riches — a direct result of their talents in the music industry. On the post-chorus, XXX sings, “So much cash in my jeans, Louis V, pocket wallet / N*ggas hate, niggas bitches, niggas bitches, pocket watchin’ / Uh, not talkin’ ’bout no pistol, talkin’ 30s now.”
Cleopatra Bernard (X’s mother) revealed her support for the visual. She states, “PnB and his team did a wonderful job bringing this visual to life and honoring Jahseh in a way that would have made him proud.”
PnB Rock shared the video’s release to his 2.1 million followers on Instagram, with the caption, “MIDDLE CHILD OUT NOW FEAT. MY BROTHER JAH @xxxtentacion 👼🏽 #TSTPS.”
His goal with the visual was for it to be fun and light-hearted, something that made him smile and served as a great reminder of the memories he shared with the late XXXTentacion. It’s safe to say that it was a success.
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