Instagram/@lilpeep
The late rapper Lil Peep‘s mother took care of the official account and posted a detailed production story to mark the ten years since the release of his experimental ‘Vertigo’ EP signing the album birth. The project was placed as a peculiar character in his works, and looking back, the co-creation, DIY spirit through all of his work was still visible which even called for the fans who are still his loyal ones really pulling the nostalgia and feelings they have for him.
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A decade is certainly difficult to perceive; sometimes it is just a moment that has gone by, and at other times, it is a lifetime that has passed already. For Lil Peep’s fans and the rest of the world who still consider the rapper’s legacy, this week was a perfect excuse to celebrate the ten years anniversary with a small reminder. His mother Liza Womack’s account posted at least five paragraphs of memories and love words. The tone of the post was neither a simple reminding note nor was it just an emotional portrayal of the winter of 2015 when the project was still in the making.
At the time Peep was known as Gus, he was not physically present with the producer John Mello, but they were doing great remotely, it had always taken them four whole tracks over the internet. Mello would send the beats; Peep would record and then mix the vocals in his bedroom. It was about the rapid-fire single drops, the ‘Drugz’ video shoot with Christmas lights in a park done during his grandparents’ visit, the motel-shot video for ‘Come Around’ inspired by Ricky Hil, and so on. The story placed ‘Vertigo’ in the context of being both the end of a very creative year and the dawn of a new era since right after the release of the EP Peep left for Tucson for his first live performance with the Schemaposse collective.
The audience was quick to respond, and their reactions to the post were very emotional. The fans were not simply posting fire emojis. They were, in fact, revealing their very personal connections to the music, thereby showing how Peep’s art is still a reference. “one of his most underrated projects,” said one fan, and that very thought started a whole series of agreements. “This EP has always been my shit. Short as fuck but zero skips,” replied another user while another one just briefly commented, “g shit mane, john mello went ape shit on this.” The discussions have moved on from mere praises to analyzing the production and the unfiltered nature of the project.
Nostalgia at times overpowered. “Vertigo was on repeat back in the day,” shared one user and another one came in with “for me, yesterday!” This time confusion—the concept that a ten-year-old album still sounds like yesterday—could be heard in the comments. One user recalled a coincidental experience: “i just searched up trying to remember the name of shiver and as soon as i found it i open instagram to see this literal chills.”
When talking about music, another thing that always came up during the discussions was the mixed emotions of sorrow and desire that Peep’s legacy has always been the defining feature of the communication around him. Translated comments in Portuguese and Spanish expressed the same idea: “We still wait for you in the morning, Peep” and “I love you Peep, I miss you.” The phrase “no one like him ever” evoked very strong reactions. “NEVER EVER!! he’s the real definition of unique,” one user stated. This allegiance would at times border on the spiritual, with fans voicing their hopes that the rapper would one day be seen alive, a notion that was met with comments about meeting “in heaven” while listening to his music.
Besides that, the post was also a reminder of people’s appreciation of the visuals and the personal relationships during that time. One comment said, “awww baby gus and emma,” referring to the then-girlfriend and frequent collaborator Emma Harris who was also in the ‘Come Around’ video and one more person just said, “the third to last slide really hits home… holy throwback,” expressing the fact that they could still see the strength of the ancient pictures that have been shared along with the text.
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More than that the digital memorial does not just represent a chance to reflect on an old EP. Revival, re-assurance that always engraves one’s mind with the idea of future disappearance, creates a kind of ‘frozen in time’ scenario. The fan base is painstakingly keeping each detail—the producer’s name, the video inspiration, the vibe of a certain song—thus also reinforcing the idea that the DIY, home-studio spirit of ‘Vertigo’ remains influential. Fans recently celebrated his birthday with tribute shows, and the anniversary of his ‘Live Forever’ mixtape also marked a decade. Other early works like ‘Romeo’s Regrets’ have finally arrived on streaming, and more birthday celebration shows have been announced.
