XXXTentacion was pronounced dead following a robbery and shooting in south Florida. As news of his death spread, Spotify, which just weeks before had banned the controversial 20 year old rapper from its official playlists after accusations of domestic violence, added two of his tracks to the top of the RapCaviar playlist, which has 9.7 million followers.
Spotify’s “Most Necessary” playlist, with 1.7 million followers, also added tracks.
From CelebrityAccess: TMZ reports that 20 year old rapper XXXTentacion was shopping for motorcycles in South Florida and was leaving a dealership when a gunman ran up to his vehicle and shot him.
An eyewitness told TMZ that the rapper appeared lifeless with no pulse. The e-zine has also noted that witnesses heard multiple shots fired and dispatch audio said it was a possible drive-by with the alleged shooters leaving the scene in a black Dodge Journey.
Witnesses told police a Louis Vuitton bag was taken from XXX’s vehicle. The suspects are two black males wearing hoodies, and the shooter was wearing a red mask. Additional dispatch audio said the rapper, real name Jahseh Onfroy, was transported as a “Level 1” trauma patient with dispatchers describing him as comatose.
The rapper was in the midst of a legal battle regarding him allegedly beating a girlfriend while she was pregnant. He was on house arrest but a judge recently let him out so he could tour. He was facing more than a dozen felony charges and prosecutors have accused him of witness tampering.
XXXTentacion grew up in Pompano Beach and Lauderhill in in South Florida, living with his mother and sometimes his grandmother. He said he tried to stab a man when he was six years old who was “messing” with his mother, according to Vulture. He attended high school in Sunrise, Fla., dropping out in the 10th grade. He uploaded his first song to SoundCloud, “Vice City,” in 2014 and dropped an EP on SoundCloud the following year.
He was charged with committing home invasion, robbery and aggravated battery in November 2015. “Look at Me” got an official release as a digital download in January 2016 and it took nearly a year for the single to enter the Billboard charts. About this time, his first charges of domestic violence arose and several alleged occurrences happened throughout 2016.
Last year, it was announced that Adam22 would manage the rapper, and A$AP Rocky shared his support for the jailed youth. While his legal troubles continued, XXXTentacion released songs like “Looking for a Star,” produced by Diplo, and his debut mixtape, Revenge. His first album was released Aug. 25.