January 23, 1998 - June 18, 2018
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XXXTentacion and girlfriend Geneva Ayala
17
?
Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy was born on January 23, 1998 in Plantation, Florida. However, he grew up in Lauderhill and Pompano Beach, where he was alternately raised by his mother and grandmother. At six-years-old, Onfroy attempted to stab a man (with a piece of broken glass) that he perceived to be assaulting her. A few years later, he was expelled from the first middle school that he attended for fighting.
Onfroy became interested in hip-hop, hard rock and heavy metal music when he reached his teens. During this time, he became a fan of Eminim, Nirvana, The Fray and Papa Roach. He subsequently taught himself to play the piano and guitar. After joining his middle school chorus, he was dropped from the group for assaulting one of his classmates during a performance.
In 2012, Onfroy enrolled in Piper High School in Sunrise, FL. The following year, he was sent to a juvenile detention facility after being charged with gun possession. During his nine-month incarceration, Onfroy physically assaulted his cellmate. While in detention, he also met aspiring rapper Stokeley "Ski Mask the Slump G*d" Goulbourne, who would become one of his frequent collaborators. In 2014, Onfroy quit school during his tenth grade year.
That March, Onfroy, using the moniker "XXXtentacion", uploaded his first song, "Vice City", to the SoundCloud audio streaming site. Later that year, he released two independent EPs, The Fall and Ice House, on SoundCloud. After deleting both from the streaming giant, Onfroy uploaded the EP Heartbreak Hotel on February 3, 2015. On April 20, Onfroy and Goulbourne released the joint EP Members Only Vol. 1. The pair released the follow-up, Members Only Vol. 2, on October 23.
On November 16, Onfroy was charged with committing armed home invasion, robbery and aggravated battery.
In 2016, Onfroy's song "Look at Me", which he'd uploaded to SoundCloud on December 31, 2015, went viral on social media. On January 29, 2016, the song was made available for download. On April 24, Onfroy discussed his physical assault of a former cellmate on hip-hop podcast No Jumper. He divulged that the cellmate was homosexual and said that he smeared his blood on his face following the beating.
In July, Onfroy moved to Orlando with his girlfriend of two months, Geneva Ayala. On August 9, he was arrested and detained at Broward Regional Detention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL in connection to the 2015 robbery and assault charges. On September 16, Onfroy was released and ordered under house arrest. Later that month, he and Ayala moved to Sweetwater, FL. On October 8, a pregnant Ayala contacted local police and accused Onfroy of assaulting her, resulting in his arrest in Miami-Dade County and charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering. Onfroy entered a plea of not guilty but was held for violating the terms of his house arrest. His trial was scheduled for May 1.
On January 1, No Jumper host Adam Grandmaison announced that he'd become Onfroy's manager. On February 14, "Look at Me" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 95. The song peaked at the 24th spot on April 22.
On March 26, Onfroy was released from jail after pleading no contest to the home invasion and battery charges. Three days later, he appeared on Miami's 103.5 The Beat radio and accused rapper Aubrey "Drake" Graham of stealing the flow used on "Look at Me" for the latter's song "KMT". Onfroy stated of Graham on-air: "He is not a man. I think he's a bitch; that's a bitch move." On April 7, Onfroy hosted a previously unannounced concert in Miami which required law enforcement intervention when a riot erupted. On May 17, Onfroy's debut mixtape, Revenge, was released through Empire Distribution. During a June 7 show in San Diego, Onfroy was assaulted and knocked unconscious while onstage.
Onfroy was name alongside nine other rising rappers to XXL Magazine's "2017 Freshman Class" feature. He was slotted in the fan-selected number 10 spot on the magazine's cover with the other rappers on June 13. The following day, Onfroy assaulted a fan at a Salt Lake City concert.
On June 26, Onfroy and Goulbourne released Members Only Vol. 3. "Look at Me" was certified platinum the following month. Onfroy's debut album, 17, was released on August 25, entering the Billboard 200 chart at number 2. After 2,000 fans arrived to the 750-person venue for Onfroy's free September 2 concert, the event was cancelled, resulting in a riot.
On September 17, 2017, Onfroy released the music video for "Look at Me", which caused uproar because of its depiction of a young, white male being lynched by Onfroy himself. On September 28, the judge presiding over Onfroy's domestic battery trial scheduled for October 5 postponed the proceedings. On October 5, the trial was again postponed -- until December 11. Two weeks later, Onfroy secured a deal worth a reported $6 million with Capitol Records-subsidiary Caroline Distribution. On October 21, Onfroy was captured on video striking a fan with his microphone during his set at the first annual Rolling Loud music festival in San Bernardino, California. Later that night, he posted a video insisting that he'd merely defended himself after the fan struck first.
On December 15, Onfroy was arrested again; given seven additional charges, including witness harassment and additional counts of witness tampering; and denied bail. He was accused of harassing ex-girlfriend Ayala via telephone from jail. He was transported to Miami's Turner Guilford Correctional Center and after pleading not guilty, was released from jail and placed on house arrest for two months.
On March 16, 2018, Caroline Distribution released Onfroy's sophomore album, ?. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, making Onfroy the first "SoundCloud rapper" to release a number one album. Five days later, his house arrest was lifted so that he could raise money for his legal expenses by touring. The days after ?'s release, the album track "Sad" rose to the number seven position on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
On May 10, online music service Spotify removed Onfroy's music from its platform citing the company's new "Hate Content and Hateful Conduct Policy". On June 1, the company eliminated the policy amid complaints from members of the music business community and returned Onfroy's songs to the site.
Shortly before 4 p.m. on June 18, 2018, two gunmen opened fire on Onfroy as he sat in his black BMW i8 after leaving high-end motorcycle shop RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, FL. The assailants drove off in a matte black SUV following the shooting. After being transported to a local hospital, Onfroy was pronounced dead at 5:30 p.m.
Later that day, rappers Jordan "Juicy J" Houston, Kanye West, Sean "Big Sean" Anderson and Michael Ray "Tyga" Stevenson took to Twitter to offer their condolences.
On June 19, approximately 400 people gathered at the site of the shooting on Melrose Avenue to mourn Onfroy. Fans placed flowers and candles and sang a portion of his song "Alone". Some rode on top of moving cars, blocking traffic. Just before 9 p.m., local police ordered the crowd to disperse.
Onfroy became interested in hip-hop, hard rock and heavy metal music when he reached his teens. During this time, he became a fan of Eminim, Nirvana, The Fray and Papa Roach. He subsequently taught himself to play the piano and guitar. After joining his middle school chorus, he was dropped from the group for assaulting one of his classmates during a performance.
In 2012, Onfroy enrolled in Piper High School in Sunrise, FL. The following year, he was sent to a juvenile detention facility after being charged with gun possession. During his nine-month incarceration, Onfroy physically assaulted his cellmate. While in detention, he also met aspiring rapper Stokeley "Ski Mask the Slump G*d" Goulbourne, who would become one of his frequent collaborators. In 2014, Onfroy quit school during his tenth grade year.
That March, Onfroy, using the moniker "XXXtentacion", uploaded his first song, "Vice City", to the SoundCloud audio streaming site. Later that year, he released two independent EPs, The Fall and Ice House, on SoundCloud. After deleting both from the streaming giant, Onfroy uploaded the EP Heartbreak Hotel on February 3, 2015. On April 20, Onfroy and Goulbourne released the joint EP Members Only Vol. 1. The pair released the follow-up, Members Only Vol. 2, on October 23.
On November 16, Onfroy was charged with committing armed home invasion, robbery and aggravated battery.
In 2016, Onfroy's song "Look at Me", which he'd uploaded to SoundCloud on December 31, 2015, went viral on social media. On January 29, 2016, the song was made available for download. On April 24, Onfroy discussed his physical assault of a former cellmate on hip-hop podcast No Jumper. He divulged that the cellmate was homosexual and said that he smeared his blood on his face following the beating.
In July, Onfroy moved to Orlando with his girlfriend of two months, Geneva Ayala. On August 9, he was arrested and detained at Broward Regional Detention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL in connection to the 2015 robbery and assault charges. On September 16, Onfroy was released and ordered under house arrest. Later that month, he and Ayala moved to Sweetwater, FL. On October 8, a pregnant Ayala contacted local police and accused Onfroy of assaulting her, resulting in his arrest in Miami-Dade County and charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering. Onfroy entered a plea of not guilty but was held for violating the terms of his house arrest. His trial was scheduled for May 1.
On January 1, No Jumper host Adam Grandmaison announced that he'd become Onfroy's manager. On February 14, "Look at Me" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 95. The song peaked at the 24th spot on April 22.
On March 26, Onfroy was released from jail after pleading no contest to the home invasion and battery charges. Three days later, he appeared on Miami's 103.5 The Beat radio and accused rapper Aubrey "Drake" Graham of stealing the flow used on "Look at Me" for the latter's song "KMT". Onfroy stated of Graham on-air: "He is not a man. I think he's a bitch; that's a bitch move." On April 7, Onfroy hosted a previously unannounced concert in Miami which required law enforcement intervention when a riot erupted. On May 17, Onfroy's debut mixtape, Revenge, was released through Empire Distribution. During a June 7 show in San Diego, Onfroy was assaulted and knocked unconscious while onstage.
Onfroy was name alongside nine other rising rappers to XXL Magazine's "2017 Freshman Class" feature. He was slotted in the fan-selected number 10 spot on the magazine's cover with the other rappers on June 13. The following day, Onfroy assaulted a fan at a Salt Lake City concert.
On June 26, Onfroy and Goulbourne released Members Only Vol. 3. "Look at Me" was certified platinum the following month. Onfroy's debut album, 17, was released on August 25, entering the Billboard 200 chart at number 2. After 2,000 fans arrived to the 750-person venue for Onfroy's free September 2 concert, the event was cancelled, resulting in a riot.
On September 17, 2017, Onfroy released the music video for "Look at Me", which caused uproar because of its depiction of a young, white male being lynched by Onfroy himself. On September 28, the judge presiding over Onfroy's domestic battery trial scheduled for October 5 postponed the proceedings. On October 5, the trial was again postponed -- until December 11. Two weeks later, Onfroy secured a deal worth a reported $6 million with Capitol Records-subsidiary Caroline Distribution. On October 21, Onfroy was captured on video striking a fan with his microphone during his set at the first annual Rolling Loud music festival in San Bernardino, California. Later that night, he posted a video insisting that he'd merely defended himself after the fan struck first.
On December 15, Onfroy was arrested again; given seven additional charges, including witness harassment and additional counts of witness tampering; and denied bail. He was accused of harassing ex-girlfriend Ayala via telephone from jail. He was transported to Miami's Turner Guilford Correctional Center and after pleading not guilty, was released from jail and placed on house arrest for two months.
On March 16, 2018, Caroline Distribution released Onfroy's sophomore album, ?. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, making Onfroy the first "SoundCloud rapper" to release a number one album. Five days later, his house arrest was lifted so that he could raise money for his legal expenses by touring. The days after ?'s release, the album track "Sad" rose to the number seven position on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
On May 10, online music service Spotify removed Onfroy's music from its platform citing the company's new "Hate Content and Hateful Conduct Policy". On June 1, the company eliminated the policy amid complaints from members of the music business community and returned Onfroy's songs to the site.
Shortly before 4 p.m. on June 18, 2018, two gunmen opened fire on Onfroy as he sat in his black BMW i8 after leaving high-end motorcycle shop RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, FL. The assailants drove off in a matte black SUV following the shooting. After being transported to a local hospital, Onfroy was pronounced dead at 5:30 p.m.
Later that day, rappers Jordan "Juicy J" Houston, Kanye West, Sean "Big Sean" Anderson and Michael Ray "Tyga" Stevenson took to Twitter to offer their condolences.
On June 19, approximately 400 people gathered at the site of the shooting on Melrose Avenue to mourn Onfroy. Fans placed flowers and candles and sang a portion of his song "Alone". Some rode on top of moving cars, blocking traffic. Just before 9 p.m., local police ordered the crowd to disperse.
