XXXTentacion’s passing was a devastating blow to his fans and loved ones. The promising rapper had already amassed a cult-like following through his audience on Soundcloud and social media. He was already headlining festivals around the world and had fans in some of music’s biggest artists. Unfortunately, his life would be cut short in 2018.
Born January 23rd, 1998, Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy was known professionally as XXXTentacion. He began as a leading figure in the emo rap scene and Soundcloud realm as it began to pick up steam in the late 2010s. His song “Sad!” was a Billboard #1 hit following his passing and amassed over 1.3 billion views on youtube and Spotify, going Diamond by 2021. Despite his star being on the rise, XXX could need seem to avoid drama and got into several issues before his passing.
XXXTentacion’s legal issues began in 2012 when he was was taken into custody. The rapper served one month before being released. He ended up right back in juve weeks later. XXX would eventually turn on his own friend, manager Tablez, injuring him during a dispute in 2016. Tablez later went on to say that he felt like the rapper was changing his life around. Unfortunately, the rapper would not get to prove this to the world at large as his legal issues continued to overshadow his music into his final days. On the morning of June 18th, 2018, the 20-year-old’s life was taken in Florida after an SUV blocked his vehicle.
Lawyers defending the accused seem to think that the rapper’s real enemy is rapper Drake. According to them, the rapper frequently spoke about issues with Drake and alleged that if anything ever happened to him, it would be at the hands of the “Hotline Bling” hitmaker. XXXTentacion did have issues with Drake in 2017, accusing the rapper of stealing his ideas and visuals for “God’s Plan.” While he did Tweet that he feared for his life, he later deleted the post and alleged that he was hacked.
That has not stopped the defense team from pushing for a disposition of Drake. “Do you think sitting here today years later, any detective ever asked Drake? No. They never did that. How could that be?” He believes that not questioning Drake is a major red flag and a clear sign that his clients are being set up.
UPDATE: Rapper Drake has been hit with a court order to sit for deposition in the XXXTentacion’s trial. Apparently, Drake failed to appear for his initial deposition on January 27th. His new date is February 24. If Drake fails to appear, the rapper could be held in contempt.
