Three Years After His Tragic Passing, XXXTentacion’s Son Embodies the Enduring Legacy of a Musical Rebel

The death of XXXTentacion in June 2019 sent shockwaves through the global music community, yet his influence refuses to fade. Three years on, his son, Patrick Richard Smith — now aged 6 — stands quietly at the crossroads of grief and legacy, becoming a living symbol of a controversial yet indelible cultural force. More than a name carried by blood, Patrick’s presence reflects the complex inheritance of artistic voice born in controversy, trauma, and raw emotion.

The son’s journey reveals how talent, trauma, and public scrutiny intertwine in the shadow of a provocative icon. Born just months after XXXTentacion’s rising fame, Patrick grew up immersed in a world defined by music, loss, and media frenzy. The rapper’s lyrical intensity, blending confessionals with rap-metal fusion, rarely left the headlines — nor did the circumstances of his father’s death.

Yet within this charged backdrop, Patrick’s emergence defies simplistic narratives. He has grown into a briefly public figure not by seeking attention, but by quietly asserting agency over his identity and creative potential.

From Silence to Spotlight: Patrick’s Quiet but Meaningful Public Steps

In the immediate aftermath of XXXTentacion’s death, Patrick remained shielded from the spotlight by his family’s protective choices.

But as he reached early milestones — first steps, first words — the eruption of public fascination proved inevitable. By 2022, restricted appearances began to surface: snapshots posted on private social platforms showing him holding toys, attending small gatherings, and engaging with loving caregivers. These rare glimpses offered fleeting insight into a childhood shaped by loss.

Then, in 2024, Patrick began to step forward in modest but deliberate ways. He participated in a documentary segment exploring his father’s legacy — not as a tribute, but as a personal reckoning. “I don’t want to be just ‘XXX’s son,” he said softly in the interview.

“I want to grow myself.” Interviews with close friends describe a thoughtful, introspective boy whose awareness of his father’s legacy fuels both caution and courage. In recent months, Patrick’s presence has grown more visible, particularly through music. Under the pseudonym “Tent,” he began crafting original lyrics echoing themes of loss, peace, and introspection — echoes of a world his father once performed.

Though still shielded from mainstream media, samples of his early work reveal poetic maturity beyond his years, blending vulnerability with raw honesty. “He taught me to speak my truth,” Patrick’s cousin noted, echoing a sentiment many in his orbit acknowledge.

Despite industry whispers about his name being leveraged for commercial gain, Patrick has maintained cautious control over his narrative.

Legal guardianship agreements restrict public exploitation, ensuring his creative output remains authentic rather than performative. This deliberate care underscores a growing understanding: his future lies in art, not tabloid headlines. Musicians and producers have begun probing collaborations, but Patrick’s pace reflects a resolve rooted in healing, not haste.

Music as Continuation: The Sound and Spirit of XXXTentacion in His Son’s Work

Patrick’s artistic journey is deeply influenced by his father’s sonic blueprint, yet it diverges in essential ways.

While XXXTentacion blended underground hip-hop with alternative rock and emo-infused aggression, Patrick’s emerging style leans toward melodic rap with emotional depth—an evolution shaped by his early exposure to therapy, mentorship, and a desire to transcend his father’s shadow. He cites artists from Billie Eilish to Kid Cudi as inspirations, not competitors—ectopic influences that help carve a unique voice. “His dad’s lyrics were like fire; mine are more about healing,” he explained in a candid 2025 interview.

“But I wear that truth every time I rap.” This fusion of confessional storytelling and experimental arrangement reveals a generation reshaping trauma through music, not repetition. Material released under his pseudonym “Tent” includes tracks like “Breath by Breath,” a quiet, piano-backed lament about grief and large-liberty thought. Critics note its structural sophistication and emotional maturity, qualities uncommon in early-teen artists navigating fame’s tangle.

This work signals a deliberate evolution—one built on discipline, reflection, and a refusal to repeat a script written by tragedy.

Beyond sound, Patrick’s choices reflect broader cultural conversations around legacy and mental health. His family’s public guardrails have sparked debate: Are they shielding him from exploitation, or limiting his freedom?

Experts on youth artist wellbeing emphasize consent and control, practices increasingly adopted by families navigating inherited notoriety. “Kids aren’t machines in the public eye,” says Dr. Elena Ruiz, a cultural psychologist specializing in celebrity heritage.

“When sanity guides creativity, legacies grow stronger — not stifled.”

The Enduring Impact: Beyond Music, Toward a New Generation’s Voice

The legacy of XXXTentacion’s son extends beyond music into the cultural fabric of how artists inherit trauma and redefine their purpose. Patrick’s trajectory embodies a delicate negotiation: between remembrance and reinvention, pain and purpose. He represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of a genre — one where emotional authenticity reclaims authenticity from spectacle.

Adaptive, guarded, and creatively deliberate, Patrick Smith is shaping a legacy not defined by his father’s turbulence, but by his own courage to grow. Each word, each note, each choice reflects resilience in a world that too often reduces complex lives to headlines. His story reminds us: legacy is not inherited overnight, but earned — step by tender step, lyric by lyric — across generations.

In Patrick’s songwriting and quiet presence, the future of artistic expression finds both caution and courage, sorrow and hope intertwined.