XXXTentacion Dead At 20

By Desire Thompson

XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, has died after he was shot in an armed robbery in Florida. The rapper was 20-years-old.

The shooting happened Monday (June 18) as the rapper was leaving a motorcycle dealership when the armed suspect approached his vehicle. Graphic video shows the rapper sitting unconscious as witnesses frantically checked for his pulse. It was initially unclear whether the rapper was dead or alive.

Broward County Police confirmed the artist’s death on social media.

XXXTentacion was born and raised in Pompano Beach and Lauderhill in South Florida. He lived with his mother, whom he sought attention for by beating up young girls and boys in school. A feature on the rapper from The Miami Times published last month, exposed the rapper’s dark past.

“I chased her,” he said of one of his incidents with a classmate. “I used to beat kids at school just to get her to talk to me, yell at me.” He was expelled from middle school for fighting and was later sent to live with his grandmother. As he reached his teens, he discovered his passion for music, preferably rap and nu-metal music. Vulture reported in March how his mom and aunt tried to help expand his musical taste by signing him up for chorus in school but was later kicked out of the program for punching a classmate.

READ MORE: Hip-Hop Community And Fans React To XXXTentacion Death

During his time at Piper High School in 2012, Onfroy was arrested several times for an array of crimes like armed robbery, burglary, possession of a firearm and possession of oxycodone. During his time in juvenile prison, his brand began formulating.

He would eventually become a Soundcloud sensation following the release of “Look at Me!” in 2017, which featured his mugshot as the single art.

After a brief beef with Drake over claims he stole his flow, the release of his project 17 arrived at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. He would go on to collaborate with artists like Miley Cyrus’ sister Noah Cyrus. His second album ? shot to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in March. Released on his own label Bad Vibes Forever, the album sold an equivalent of 131,000 units.

In a testimony to Pitchfork, the rapper’s former pregnant girlfriend accused the rapper of domestic violence, along with claims that he threatened to penetrate her vagina with a “barbecue cleaner” or a “barbecue fork.” There were also claims that he physically abused her. He was currently awaiting trial for the case. He was also recently on house arrest but was released so he can embark on touring duties.

The rapper made several points to speak out against domestic violence, but would often backtrack when it came to his behavior. “Would I change anything about my journey? F**k no,” he said to The Miami Times. Towards the end of his life, the rapper was making it a point to spread more positivity in his music and to his fans.

The rapper recently posted on his Instagram Story his plans for a charity this weekend.

Credit: Instagram

The hip-hop community has expressed their grief over the rapper and his tragic life. See them here.

This post XXXTentacion Dead At 20 first appeared on Vibe.