XXXTentacion was on his way to becoming a household name. The 20-year old rapper latest album was number one on the Billboard 200 when it was released in March. XXXTentacion rarely gave interviews but did have a massive social media following. Late Monday afternoon XXXTentacion was shot to death in Florida.
Extremely controversial
XXXTentacion may have been known for his many controversies more than some of his hit songs. The rapper’s former girlfriend said that he often abused her. She accused him of punching, kicking, strangling, and head-butting her while she was pregnant. He was also accused of keeping her at a friend’s house for two days.
The rapper was also known for getting in physical altercations at his concerts and feuds with Drake and Offset. XXXTentacion was also arrested for home invasion charges. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial on charges of battery, false imprisonment, and witness tampering.
Last month he became one of the artists that many people felt Spotify should stop promoting. The streaming service announced a new policy where it wouldn’t promote artists who demonstrated “hateful conduct.” Spotify announced R. Kelly would be affected, but not many other popular artists; XXXTentacion was the most-streamed artists on Spotify.
Shot to death
XXXTentacion was leaving a motorcycle dealership in Fort Lauderdale when he was shot to death. Police believe it was a “possible robbery.” Two armed suspects approached the rapper when he was leaving the dealer and at least one of the suspects fired at him.
Police said that the two suspects “fled in a dark-color SUV.” An hour and a half after the shooting XXXTentacion was pronounced dead at a local hospital. A witness took a video of a man who looks like XXXTentacion sitting motionless in the front seat of a car. Someone is also seen checking the man’s pulse.
The rap community quickly reacted to the news of XXXTentacion. Rappers like Kanye West and J. Cole tweeted out messages in support of the young rapper. Due to the rapper’s past Twitter was full of mixed emotions. But most messages were mourning the loss of a rapper gone too soon.
