Controversial young rapper, XXXTentacion, shot and killed

RAPPER XXXTentacion was fatally shot on Monday afternoon in the Florida city of Deerfield Beach, according to authorities. He was 20 years old.

Emergency officials received a call about a shooting and an adult male was taken to hospital. Nearly two-and-a-half hours later, the sheriff ’s office confirmed the man had died. Before authorities released the name of the victim, TMZ published a video of a man it reported as XXXTentacion, who was slouched in the driver’s seat of a car.

Born Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy and raised in South Florida, the rapper would go on to court both success and controversy as XXXTentacion.

In March 2014, he uploaded the song, Vice City, to SoundCloud, the free music-streaming platform where he would eventually amass more than two million followers. There, he released several EPs, and his cult following quickly grew into mainstream celebrity.

His musical persona constantly shifted, as he tackled mumble-rap, horror core, R&B and heavy metal.

In August last year, Onfroy released his debut album, 17, which peaked at No 2 on the Billboard 200. Seven months later, he released ?, which topped the chart.

Meanwhile, he faced legal problems and a worsening reputation.

The rapper was arrested in Miami-Dade in 2016 and charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness-tampering after his ex-girlfriend accused him of physical abuse.

He pleaded no contest to previous charges of armed home-invasion, robbery and battery. He had bragged about his violent tendencies in interviews, such as telling a story about beating a homosexual cellmate for looking at him. The story included disturbing details, such as Onfroy claiming he wiped the man’s blood on his own face. He routinely got into fights with fans at his concerts. Celebrities such as comedian Eric Andre began disavowing the rapper.

Spotify briefly removed the rapper from its curated playlists, citing a “hateful conduct” policy – but quickly restored them after backlash from the music industry.

As news of the shooting broke, several celebrities and musicians shared their shock on social media.

“I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here,” Kanye West wrote. – The Washington Post