"Hearteater" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American rapper and singer XXXTentacion, released as the second single from his fourth (second posthumous) studio album Bad Vibes Forever.[2][3]

"Hearteater"
Single by XXXTentacion
from the album Bad Vibes Forever
ReleasedOctober 22, 2019 (2019-10-22)
Recorded2018
StudioXXX Studios
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length2:16
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • John Cunningham
  • Robert Soukiasyan
XXXTentacion singles chronology
"Royalty"
(2019)
"Hearteater"
(2019)
"Bad Vibes Forever"
(2019)

Background

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On March 18, 2018, two days after the release of his second studio album ?, XXXTentacion asked his fans to get a Miami charity's Instagram page to 30,000 followers. In return, he promised to release a song that did not make the album's final tracklist.[4] He released the song via SoundCloud on March 20.[5]

Artwork

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The original SoundCloud cover art featured a picture of XXXTentacion stage diving at a concert held on March 18, 2018. The cover art of the single consists of XXXTentacion's former girlfriend Geneva Ayala, who accused him of domestic abuse in 2016, with a bloody mouth holding a heart.[4]

Release and promotion

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XXXTentacion was murdered in June 2018.[6] During an August 2019 interview, his manager Solomon Sobande revealed that the song would be included on XXXTentacion's fourth studio album Bad Vibes Forever.[7] The song was released as the second single from the album on October 22.

Music video

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The music video was teased a few days prior to the release, and featured a black and white snippet of XXXTentacion's former girlfriend, Geneva Ayala, who accused him of domestic abuse in 2016, and also appears on the single's cover.[8] The teaser begins with a voice memo dated April 2018 (two months before XXXTentacion's death) of XXXTentacion explaining why he wanted her in the video, saying:

I feel like tying her into it makes the video amazing, and it almost, like, really captures everyone's minds and gives me the power that I truly deserve.

The music video was released on October 25, 2019, and features Ayala in a forest cannibalistically shredding the flesh of another person, presumably XXXTentacion. Ayala is then shown naked drenched in blood, before walking away as the video ends.[10]

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[11] 36

References

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  1. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (October 23, 2019). "XXXTentacion Goes Full-On Alternative Rock With The New Posthumous Single 'Hearteater'". Uproxx. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  2. ^ Berry, Peter A. (October 22, 2019). "XXXTentacion's 'Hearteater' Gets an Official Release: Listen". XXL. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  3. ^ Price, Joe (November 14, 2019). "XXXTentacion Estate Drops Bad Vibes Forever Collection Ahead of New Posthumous Album". Complex. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Mench, Chris (October 22, 2019). "XXXTentacion's "Hearteater" Cover Art Features The Woman He Was Charged With Abusing". Genius. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "XXXTENTACION - "Heart Eater" by @XXChidori on Soundcloud". SoundCloud. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  6. ^ Lockett, Dee (18 June 2018). "Report: XXXTentacion Dead Following Shooting". Vulture. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  7. ^ Peisner, David (August 22, 2019). "What To Expect From XXXTentacion's Second Posthumous Album". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  8. ^ Zidel, Alex (October 22, 2019). "XXXTentacion's "Hearteater" Earns Official Release". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  9. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (October 25, 2019). "Watch XXXTentacion's New Video for "Hearteater"". Complex. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  10. ^ Saponara, Michael (October 25, 2019). "XXXTentaction's Bloodthirsty 'Hearteater' Video Features Ex-Girlfriend as a Cannibal: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  11. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.