"Arms Around You" is a collaborative single by American rappers

XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...

and

Lil Pump Gazzy Garcia (born August 17, 2000), better known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper. He is one of the most prominent artists of the SoundCloud rap scene and is known for his minimalist music and hyperactive public persona. Li ...

featuring Colombian singer

Maluma Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor. Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. ...

and American singer and rapper Swae Lee. It was released on October 25, 2018, and is produced by

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead si ...

, Mally Mall,

JonFX John Alexander Crawford (born May 31, 1983), professionally known as JonFX, is a music producer from St. Andrews, Jamaica. He has worked with dancehall and reggae artists Shabba Ranks, I Wayne, Vybz Kartel, Gyptian and Akon, as well as late ra ...

Background

The track was originally written and recorded in 2017 with Rio Santana, who appeared on XXXTentacion's '' ?'' album, but after XXXTentacion's death, the label took over and added other co-features. Lil Pump contacted XXXTentacion's mother Cleopatra Bernard after his death to ask if he could make a song to "honor his legacy", which resulted in the collaboration.

Critical reception

'' Rap-Up'' called the track a "global crossover track" featuring "Latin, alternative, hip-hop and pop influences". Michael Saponara of '' Billboard'' wrote that XXXTentacion "implements an intoxicating flow mixed with some Spanish over the Mally Mall, Jon FX, handling the

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

-tinged track's chorus duties". C. Vernon Coleman II of '' XXL'' also felt the track had a "reggaeton feel", with Pump "stunt ngheavy as usual" and Swae Lee delivering a "rosy verse". In addition, Winston Cook-Wilson of '' Spin'' called the track "house-inflected". While Ben Kaye of ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'' labeled it a "Latin-flavored club jam", he also stated that the timing of its release was "a bit of cringeworthy irony" with XXXTentacion's line in the chorus about protecting someone, Kaye said a recently released recording features him "confessing to multiple violent crimes including assaulting his girlfriend and stabbing eight people", though this interpretation of the recording was disputed. Brendan Klinkenberg of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' felt that the song is "bland, Latin-inflected pop that reflects none of the talents of its four collaborators" and also called it "a mish-mash of vague pop-in-2018 signifiers without cohering into any sort of artistic statement".

Promotion

initially teased the track on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and previewed the track on his Instagram, but later deleted the post. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' noted that the post featured the hashtag "#LLJ" which stands for "Long Live Jahseh", which was XXXTentacion's real name.

Music video

A music video for "Arms Around You" was released on November 16, 2018. It was directed by James Lerese and features an animated XXXTentacion.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. *

– vocals, composition *

– vocals, composition * Swae Lee – vocals, composition * Edgar Barrera – composition, engineer * Rio Santana – composition *

– production, composition, mix engineer * Mally Mall – production *

– production * Rashawn Mclean – assistant mix engineer * Mike Seaberg – assistant mix engineer * Jacob Richards – assistant mix engineer * Brandon Brown – assistant mix engineer * Gerald Yusuf — recording engineer *

Koen Heldens Koen Heldens is a Dutch born mix engineer residing in Miami Florida. Koen started his career in 2003 and rose to prominence in 2017 when he started working with the late XXXTentacion with which he earned a Guinness World Records for most streamed ...

– mix engineer * Tom Norris – mix engineer *

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is a mix engineer and music producer who owns the revered Canton House Studios in Studio City, California. Joshua started his mix career in 2005 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado and formed The Penua Project. Joshu ...

– mix engineer * Dave Kutch – mastering engineer * Gil Corber - A&R Consultant * Eesean Bolden - A&R

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{authority control 2018 singles 2018 songs XXXTentacion songs Lil Pump songs Maluma songs Swae Lee songs Song recordings produced by Skrillex Songs released posthumously Songs written by Swae Lee Songs written by XXXTentacion Songs written by Edgar Barrera Songs written by Lil Pump Songs written by Maluma (singer) Songs written by Skrillex Music controversies Electronic dance music songs Dancehall songs