The hip-hop world paused late Monday as some of the industry’s biggest stars mourned the sudden death of young rapper XXXTentacion, who was fatally shot in South Florida earlier in the day.
The Florida-born rapper was leaving a Deerfield Beach motorsports dealership at around 4 p.m when two armed men approached him and opened fire in an apparent robbery attempt, police said. XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was 20 years old.
Kanye West, J. Cole and Pusha T were among the many celebrities to send their condolences via Twitter as news of the rapper’s death sent shockwaves across social media.
West tweeted a picture of the rapper, rocking his signature bleach-blonde hair, and referred to him as one of his musical inspirations. “Rest in peace,” he tweeted. “I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here. Thank you for existing.”
J. Cole, who made history this year as the first artist to ever debut three songs in Billboard Hot 100’s top 10, also sent condolences via Twitter, caling XXXTentacion an “enormous talent” with “limitless potential.”
“This got me f—ked up. RIP X,” he tweeted. “Enormous talent and limitless potential and a strong desire to be a better person. God bless his family, friends and fans.”
Fellow rapper Future called the passing a reminder that the “streets ain’t got no love for nobody” and urged his followers to “live life to the fullest.”
Fans gathered at the crime scene late Monday to pay their respects, placing pictures, candles and words of inspiration near a makeshift memorial in the rapper’s honor.
“This is so crazy. I can’t believe it. This is a good community. I can’t believe something like this happened in my neighborhood,” one witness told Fort Lauderdale ABC affiliate WSVN. “An artist at that, in my neighborhood. This is crazy.”
“He was just maturing as a person and as an artist … it couldn’t have come at a worse time,” another witness said. “A lot of it was really beautiful music, progressive music.'”
Big Sean, a fellow rapper and XXXTentacion fan, said his “heart dropped” when he heard the tragic news.
“I feel like we only got to see a glimpse of his artistry,” he tweeted. “I didn’t know him personally but I respect how passionate he was about his music and message. Nobody deserves this kind of ending. gone too soon.”
Take a look at how other hip-hop figures paid their respects.
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