Songfacts®:

• XXXTENTACION recorded this track in the wake of killings of various African Americans across the United States. X condemns both police officers who abuse their power and the hypocrisy of those who riot as a form of protest. Such people demand respect from the police but then vandalize property and loot stores, destroying businesses.
• The song was first released onto X's SoundCloud page in 2015, months after the controversial killings of unarmed black men Eric Garner and Michael Brown by white policemen. The death of Michael Brown in particular sparked a wave of violent protests and riots.
• A music video was filmed for the track and released on September 12, 2017 together with the one for "Look At Me!"
• "Riot" was re-released onto streaming platforms on June 1, 2020 in the wake of riots stemming from the killing of George Floyd, who died after being suffocated by a white policeman.
• X raps over a free beat by Luke White. The producer has also supplied the instrumentation for songs by Snow Tha Product and Bazanji.