By Shirley Halperin
US rapper XXXTentacion has died after being shot in South Florida. He was 20 years old.
The Broward County Sheriff's Department pronounced the rapper, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, as dead around 5.40pm local time, TMZ reports.
It had previously reported that XXX had "no pulse" following the incident, a suspected armed robbery as Onfroy was leaving a motorcycle dealership.
The hip-hop newcomer, a leading figure among the so-called 'Soundcloud rap' scene, broke out in late 2015 with his hit Look At Me!.
In 2017, he appeared on the cover of XXL Magazine's influential "Freshman" issue, showcasing the year's most promising rappers, alongside Kamaiyah, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, PnB Rock, MadeinTYO, Playboi Carti, Amine, Kap G, KYLE and Ugly God. XXX won the fan vote to make the cover.
However, the Florida native's flourishing career had been embroiled in legal problems. In October 2016, he was arrested on multiple battery charges, including allegations he beat his girlfriend while she was pregnant.
Troubled rapper XXXtentacion has died after being shot in Florida.Credit: Miami- Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department
The controversy resulted in numerous articles calling for the greater music industry to not "co-sign", or endorse, his music, including one published by Pitchfork titled, 'XXXTentacion Is Blowing Up Behind Bars. Should He Be?'
A June 5 feature on the rapper that appeared in Miami New Times chronicled the hip-hop star's rise to fame, delving deep into his unstable home life and trouble with the law. In the piece, XXX is quoted as saying that abuse allegations "can go off hearsay" and that "women are almost more powerful than men."
In March, XXXTentacion's album ? debuted at No. 1 on the US's Billboard 200 album chart. It debuted at No. 3 on Australia's ARIA Charts.
Last month, the rapper's music was pulled from Spotify's curated playlists citing the streaming giant's newly introduced policy on 'Hate Content and Hateful Conduct', but his music was reinstated and the policy dialled back following backlash from fellow artists and music executives.
Reuters, Fairfax Media