XXXTentacion

Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 - June 18, 2018), popularly known as XXXTentacion or simply X, was an American rapper and singer. Despite controversy garnered from his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion saw a relatively rapid rise to fame during his short career and achieved a cult following. His music was known for incorporating elements of rap, emo, R&B, punk rock, and nu metal, and dealt with feelings of depression and alienation. On June 18, 2018, XXXTentacion was killed in an alleged drive-by shooting in Deerfield Beach, Florida, at twenty years old.

XXXTentacion was born January 23, 1998, in Plantation, Florida. Growing up in Pompano Beach and Lauderhill in South Florida, XXXTentacion lived with his mother and grandmother. He developed an interest in music, especially hard rock and rap. XXXTentacion attended Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida, before dropping out in tenth grade. Between 2013 and 2014, XXXTentacion served time in a juvenile detention center for a gun possession charge, where he met fellow rapper Ski Mask the Slump God. After release, the two would go on to collaborate on several projects and form the hip-hop collective Members Only.

XXXTentacion's music career began in 2014, when he uploaded his first song to Soundcloud called "Vice City." He would go on to upload several independent EPs in the year that followed, as well as two projects with Ski Mask the Slump God: Members Only Vol. 1 and Members Only Vol. 2. During this time, XXXTentacion was also charged by the state of Florida for home invasion, robbery, and aggravated battery. On December 31, 2015, XXXTentacion uploaded "Look At Me!" which would go on to be his first big single.

XXXTentacion's "Look At Me!" was his first song to gain significant popularity.

As "Look at Me!" began to garner streams and attention on Soundcloud, XXXTentacion's profile began to rise. On April 24, 2016, he did an interview on No Jumper, a popular hip-hop podcast hosted by Adam22 (real name Adam Grandmaison), in which he discussed his troubled early life and his time spent incarcerated. On August 9 of that year, XXXTentacion was arrested for his 2015 home invasion charges and was put on house arrest a month later. However, XXXTentacion was once again arrested on October 8, 2016, this time for allegedly beating and detaining his pregnant girlfriend.

Despite his various legal troubles, XXXTentacion's popularity continued to grow. "Look At Me!" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at 95 on February 14, 2017, and later peaked at No. 24 on April 22. XXXTentacion released his debut mixtape, Revenge, on May 17, and was also selected to the XXL Magazine Freshman Class as its tenth spot winner a month later. In August 2017, with "Look At Me!" having recently received platinum certification, XXXTentacion released his debut album, 17, while awaiting trial for his domestic abuse charges. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Album Chart and spawned singles including "Jocelyn Flores," "Revenge," and "Everybody Dies in Their Nightmares." While the album was met with mixed reviews from critics, its popularity led Capitol Records to sign XXXTentacion to a record deal worth a reported $6 million.

After the release of his debut album, XXXTentacion's domestic abuse trial was postponed several times. He was jailed on December 15, 2017, with several new charges added, but five days later was once again released on house arrest. XXXTentacion began working on his second studio album, ?, which was released on March 16, 2018. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart, with "Sad!" one of the album's singles, debuting at No. 7 and becoming XXXTentacion's first top 10 hit.

On June 18, 2018, XXXTentacion was robbed of $50,000 and killed in a drive-by shooting outside a motorcycle shop in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Graphic videos of the murder were posted on social media. Police arrested Michael Boatwright, Dedrick Williams, and Trayvon Newsom shortly after. In March of 2023, the three men were found guilty of killing XXXTentacion and sentenced to life in prison.