Jahseh Onfroy, better known to the world as rapper XXXTentacion, was fatally shot Monday afternoon in Broward County, Florida after leaving a local motorsport shop. According to police, two men in a dark-colored SUV carried out the shooting, putting an end to the 20-year-old artist’s life.
As news spread of his tragic ending, XXXTentacion’s fans and peers began taking to social media to remember the “Look at Me” rapper’s life.
However, everyone wasn’t celebrating XXXTentacion’s memory. While his fans mourned, others pointed out the rapper’s controversial and violent past. According to the Los Angeles Times, at the time of his death XXXTentacion was facing up to 30 years in prison after being charged with false imprisonment, assault and witness tampering. In 2016, the rapper was accused of beating and strangling his then-pregnant girlfriend. In an interview last year, XXXTentacion admitted to once viciously attacking his cellmate in jail because the man was “looking at him” and XXXTentacion “thought he was gay.”
Because of his abusive history, several people argued the rapper shouldn’t be remembered as a hero, no matter how much people loved his music.
A few celebs, like Jidenna and LaLa Anthony, even came under fire for seemingly glossing over his past “mistakes.”
It’s difficult to say whether or not XXXTentacion would have changed his life if he’d lived longer, but it’s clear the legacy he did leave behind was complicated.