It may be fair to say that the world did not fully realize the impact of 20-year-old South Florida rapper XXXTentacion until his tragic death on June 18.
The battle between morals and emotions continue among fans as they are forced to cope with the devastating results of a premeditated murder scheme that left the “Look At Me” rapper fatally shot in front of RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach.
In his short time on earth and in the music industry, Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy created a controversial name for himself with criminal charges that include home invasion, robbery, aggravated battery and domestic abuse.
While he did not have the cleanest name, many of his fans found salvation and hope within his lyrics that often referenced Onfroy’s own battle with sadness, loneliness, heartbreak and depression.
The rapper is no stranger to success as his second album, “?,” debuted in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard albums chart after its release in March. His newest single “Sad!” has reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart just a week after his death.
Angelica Mikel, a senior studying psychology at Florida A&M, says she had never realized the amount of support the rapper had gained over the years.
“I’ve heard of him before but always seemed so out of the box. I didn’t know so many people loved him and it’s sad to see so many people hurting.” Mikel said.
There are also many people who cannot see past Onfroy’s troubled past.
“Nobody wants to wish death on anybody but he did a lot of wrong,” said Jennifer Smith, a junior engineering student. “I cannot pretend like he was a good person because he’s dead.”
However, fans across the world refuse to allow his past to overcast positive changes the “Look At Me” rapper was allegedly beginning to make. Fans claim Onfroy was looking to give back to the community and feed love into the world. He simply did not get a chance.
Celebrities and fans have held vigils in major cities such as Los Angeles and Atlanta to honor the late rapper’s life and powerful short-lived legacy. A large fan memorial was also held in Broward County at the BB&T Center in Sunrise where thousands of his supports were able to view his body and say their final goodbyes.