Madeintyo Remembers Recording 2017 XXL Freshman Cypher With XXXTentacion

Last summer, XXXTentacion made a serious splash when his 2017 XXL Freshman cypher with Ugly God, Madeintyo and Playboi Carti hit the internet. With the lighthearted tones of the latter three artists juxtaposed with X's famously gruesome a cappella verse, the video proved to be an instant viral sensation. A caricature of X as an emo rapper began to crystallize, but the thing is, X wasn't actually all gloom and doom.

Earlier today, just three days after X was shot and killed on Monday (June 18), XXL unearthed outtakes from the 2017 Freshman cypher after fans requested its release in light of his tragic death. In these clips, X appears to be jovial, as he mimics Carti's flow and gets some jokes off. Speaking with XXL, the rapper's fellow 2017 Freshman Madeintyo, who met Tyo for the first time at the 2017 Freshman shoot, recalls the moment.

"It was kinda [like] how the year before with the [2016 XXL Freshman cypher] everybody chimed in, everybody got to ad-lib and they were having fun," Tyo tells XXL. "It wasn't just one person. We all were kinda chiming in next to each other—like laughing, joking."

Madeintyo, who remembers having several conversations about music with XXXTentacion before his death, notes that the vibe of X's cypher outtakes was unlike that of the final-cut version. "X wasn't super depressed or anything," he recalls. "He was laughing and joking with all of us and we were ad-libbing his verse. That was a moment that I will always remember."

While Tyo and X weren't best friends—("Me and [X] wasn't best friends, but like, I care for him.")—they stayed in contact after the Freshman shoot. On Tuesday (June 19), just one day after X's death, Tyo uploaded a video of a FaceTime conversation he had with the rapper. With a heartfelt caption, it's an emotional post that contextualizes what was loss in the death of X.

"I’m so hurt & you always showed me love.... you always asked about my family ... you was smart & you gave me advice when I needed it & gave advice when I didn’t wanna hear it ... but just want to say I love you nigga ... I never had to make a post like this ... sooo I’m just reallly ... stuck...." reads Tyo's X tribute.

Though you can't hear what what X and Madeintyo are talking about during the call—the video is muted—Tyo's recollections of calls from X offer a composite of a person who cared about their friends. Of course, there were also bits of playful jabbing.

"A typical call from X—X call me like, 'What up Jit? What your short ass doing?'" the Atlanta artist remembers. "Like straight up, we joke on each other. And I seen it him calling [PnB Rock] and he just straight up just start joking on him. In that conversation with PnB, he's like, 'Yo, don't be spending too much money.' You look at X, he wasn't a materialistic kid. Like, he dressed like his fans. Like, he dressed like, straight out of Hot Topic. Like Thrashers—all of that."

X left an impression on Madeintyo, the Atlanta rapper wasn't the only person the rapper left with positive vibes. Having only released two albums, X didn't have a particularly deep catalog. However, as evidenced by his streaming numbers rising by more than 1,600 percent since his death, it's clear that he made a big impact.

On Wednesday night (June 20), police arrested 22-year-old Dedrick Devonshay Williams for X's murder, charging him with first-degree murder, probation violation and operating a vehicle without a valid driver's license.

See Behind-the-Scenes Photos of XXXTentacion at the 2017 XXL Freshman Shoot