XXXTENTACION

Bio · Albums · Songs · Legacy

Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer born on January 23, 1998, in Plantation, Florida. He died on June 18, 2018, at the age of 20, shot during a robbery outside a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

Though his career was brief — just five years from his first SoundCloud release in 2013 to his death in 2018 — XXXTentacion became one of the defining voices of the SoundCloud rap era and a leading figure in the rise of emo rap. His music explored depression, alienation, love, and psychological turbulence across a range of styles — from aggressive trap and punk-adjacent outbursts to delicate acoustic ballads — often within the span of a single project.

He released two studio albums during his lifetime: 17 (2017) and ? (2018), the latter debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Two more studio albums — Skins (2018) and Bad Vibes Forever (2019) — along with the compilation Look at Me: The Album (2022) were released posthumously. His posthumously released single “Sad!” reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 and was certified Diamond by the RIAA. As of October 2020, he had sold over 75 million records in the United States.

QUICK FACTS

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY

Jahseh Onfroy was born in Plantation, Florida on January 23, 1998. He spent most of his childhood in Lauderhill, Florida, a city in Broward County. His mother, Cleopatra Bernard, was struggling with his young age and custody difficulties. Onfroy was primarily raised by his grandmother, Collette Jones, who served as the central stabilizing figure of his early life.

His childhood was marked by violence and instability. At age six, he attempted to stab a man with a kitchen knife after witnessing the man attacking his mother. He was expelled from multiple schools and eventually sent to a youth detention program. While in juvenile detention for gun possession charges as a teenager, Onfroy met Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne — later known as Ski Mask the Slump God — who would become one of his closest collaborators and co-founder of the Members Only collective.

Onfroy began writing music in his early teens. His earliest known uploads to SoundCloud date to 2013, under tracks titled “News/Flock” and other early material that was later deleted. His musical influences ranged widely — he cited The Fray, Three Days Grace, Sade, Bob Marley, Chief Keef, and Tupac Shakur among his formative inspirations, reflecting the stylistic breadth that would later define his catalog.

SOUNDCLOUD RISE AND MEMBERS ONLY (2013–2016)

Between 2013 and 2015, XXXTentacion released a series of EPs and tracks on SoundCloud — many of which were deleted, lost, or re-uploaded over the years. His first commercial EP, Ice Hotel, was released in late 2015 and remains one of the earliest projects still publicly available from his discography.

Along with Ski Mask the Slump God and other collaborators, Onfroy co-founded the Members Only collective, a group of SoundCloud-affiliated rappers and producers including Wifisfuneral, Kin$oul, and Craig Xen. The collective released multiple volumes of the Members Only compilation series between 2015 and 2018, documenting the core aesthetic of the early SoundCloud emo-trap scene.

In December 2015, XXXTentacion released “Look at Me!,” the song that would become his career-defining breakout. With its distorted bass, aggressive vocals, and raw, unpolished production, “Look at Me!” racked up millions of SoundCloud plays before Empire Distribution re-released it as an official single in February 2017. The song peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified Platinum.

REVENGE AND 17 (2017)

In May 2017, XXXTentacion released his first commercial mixtape, Revenge, through Bad Vibes Forever and Empire Distribution. The tape compiled several of his most popular SoundCloud tracks — including “Look at Me!,” “King,” and “I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore” — and peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200.

His debut studio album, 17, was released on August 25, 2017. The album was an unflinching confrontation with depression, grief, and suicidal ideation — written in the aftermath of the suicide of XXXTentacion’s close friend Jocelyn Flores. 17 debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 87,000 first-week units and was praised for its emotional rawness and genre-spanning approach, ranging from acoustic folk to lo-fi hip-hop to atmospheric R&B.

The album’s standout track “Jocelyn Flores” became one of his most beloved songs, earning 8x Platinum certification and becoming a memorial anthem for his fanbase. Other key tracks included “Revenge” (Gold), “Fuck Love” featuring Trippie Redd (Platinum), and “Save Me.” 17 was fewer than 23 minutes long, but its emotional density established XXXTentacion as a major force in emerging alternative hip-hop.

? (2018): THE No. 1 ALBUM

XXXTentacion’s second studio album, ? (stylized as the question mark), was released on March 16, 2018. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and represented his most ambitious and stylistically diverse project — touching on trap, R&B, rock, lo-fi, and even Latin pop across 18 tracks.

? featured the singles “Sad!” and “Changes,” both of which achieved massive commercial success. “Sad!” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon release. “Changes” peaked at No. 37. The album also included “Moonlight,” certified 6x Platinum, and “Hope,” a tribute to victims of the Parkland, Florida shooting that occurred months before the album’s release.

? received broadly positive reviews and cemented XXXTentacion as one of the defining young voices in rap. The album remains one of the most commercially successful emo-rap projects ever released.

DEATH ON JUNE 18, 2018

On June 18, 2018, XXXTentacion was shot and killed outside RIVA Motorsports, a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was 20 years old. According to law enforcement and subsequent trial testimony, Onfroy had just withdrawn $50,000 from a bank in a Louis Vuitton bag when he was followed to the motorcycle shop by a group of individuals who had been planning robberies throughout the area.

As he left the dealership in his BMW, Onfroy’s vehicle was blocked by an SUV. Two masked men — later identified as Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome — approached the car. Boatwright fired multiple shots through the driver’s side window, killing Onfroy. The attackers fled with the Louis Vuitton bag containing the $50,000.

Four men were eventually arrested and charged in connection with the murder: Michael Boatwright (shooter), Trayvon Newsome (accomplice gunman), Dedrick Williams (driver and orchestrator), and Robert Allen (accomplice). Allen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August 2022 in exchange for testifying against the others.

The trial began in February 2023. On March 20, 2023, the jury unanimously convicted Boatwright, Newsome, and Williams of first-degree murder and armed robbery. On April 6, 2023, all three were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Boatwright received an additional 30 years for probation violations.

Following XXXTentacion’s death, “Sad!” — released just months earlier — became his first and only No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was later certified Diamond by the RIAA, making XXXTentacion one of the few artists to achieve Diamond status posthumously. A full-length feature documentary about his life, Look at Me: XXXTentacion, was released on Hulu in 2022.

POSTHUMOUS RELEASES

At the time of his death, XXXTentacion had recorded an extensive catalog of unreleased material. His mother Cleopatra Bernard, his management team at Bad Vibes Forever, and his label Empire Distribution have continued to release music from his archive over the years following his death.

His first posthumous studio album, Skins, was released on December 7, 2018 — fewer than six months after his death. Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the album was short at fewer than 20 minutes but delivered some of his most polished tracks, including “Bad!” and “Arms Around You” with Lil Pump, Maluma, and Swae Lee.

His second posthumous studio album, Bad Vibes Forever, arrived on December 6, 2019, and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The album featured guest appearances from PnB Rock, Trippie Redd, Stefflon Don, Rick Ross, Joey Bada$$, and many others. It was the label’s attempt to capture the genre-spanning artistic breadth XXXTentacion had gestured toward across his career.

In 2022, Empire and Bad Vibes Forever released Look at Me: The Album, a compilation tied to the release of the Hulu documentary of the same name. The compilation included the single “True Love,” a posthumous collaboration with Kanye West originally appearing on Donda 2. “True Love” debuted at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

DISCOGRAPHY

Studio Albums & Major Projects

Mixtapes, EPs, and Early Projects

Ice Hotel (2015) • The Fall (2015) • Willy Wonka Was a Child Murderer (2016) • Members Only Vol. 1 (2015), Vol. 2 (2016), Vol. 3 (2017), Vol. 4 (2019, posthumous) • A Ghetto Christmas Carol! EP (2017) • 17 Deluxe (2017)

KEY SONGS AND COLLABORATIONS

SOUND AND ARTISTIC IDENTITY

XXXTentacion’s music is almost defined by its refusal to be defined. Across his brief catalog, he moved freely between genres — aggressive distorted trap (“Look at Me!”), acoustic folk (“Jocelyn Flores”), R&B (“Moonlight”), nu metal and rock (“!” on 17), indie rock, lo-fi, and slow-burn melancholy ballads. This stylistic range was central to his appeal, particularly among young listeners who saw his music as a mirror for their own emotional complexity.

His lyrical content focused heavily on mental health, depression, suicidal ideation, romantic turmoil, and alienation. He openly discussed his struggles with mental illness in interviews and in his lyrics, which resonated deeply with a generation grappling with similar themes. Critics noted his willingness to explore vulnerability in a genre where such openness remained relatively rare.

His vocal style shifted constantly — from guttural screams to falsetto singing to calm spoken word. He produced much of his own material, often in lo-fi home-studio conditions that gave his recordings a distinctive raw, unpolished sonic signature. This aesthetic — where technical imperfection was part of the art — became foundational to the SoundCloud rap movement.

CONTROVERSIES AND LEGAL ISSUES

XXXTentacion’s life was marked by serious legal issues that remain central to his legacy. Most significantly, he was awaiting trial at the time of his death on charges stemming from a 2016 domestic abuse case involving his pregnant ex-girlfriend Geneva Ayala. The charges included aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness tampering. Court documents and Ayala’s statements described severe and sustained abuse.

Onfroy publicly denied some of the allegations while acknowledging elements of others. The case was never adjudicated due to his death. Ayala has continued to speak publicly about the abuse she described, and the case remains a significant element of any comprehensive accounting of his life and career.

He also faced multiple other legal issues across his brief career, including charges of home invasion robbery and aggravated battery with a firearm (from before his music career), and was on house arrest at various points. His public persona often embraced conflict and aggression, though in later interviews — particularly in 2018 shortly before his death — he spoke publicly about personal growth, charity work, and his desire to use his platform to help young people struggling with mental health.

CULTURAL IMPACT AND LEGACY

XXXTentacion is widely credited as one of the primary architects of the emo rap movement that dominated SoundCloud in the mid-to-late 2010s. Alongside Lil Peep (who died in November 2017) and Juice WRLD (who died in December 2019), he represented a generation of young artists who prioritized emotional vulnerability, genre fluidity, and direct fan connection over traditional industry structures.

His influence on hip-hop has been long-lasting. Artists including Juice WRLD, Trippie Redd, The Kid Laroi, Lil Tjay, Iann Dior, Rod Wave, and countless others have cited him as a formative influence. The entire category of melodic, emotionally vulnerable rap that dominates streaming in the 2020s traces key elements of its lineage back to XXXTentacion’s work.

As of February 2024, his last Instagram post before his death holds the record as the 11th most-liked Instagram post of all time, with over 32.5 million likes. According to YouGov polling from 2023, 52 percent of Americans had heard of him, with a majority of those holding positive opinions — particularly among Millennials and Gen Z, where 75 percent had heard of him and 65 percent held favorable views.

His estate, managed by his mother Cleopatra Bernard, has continued to steward his musical catalog and legacy. The Broward County-based XXXTentacion Foundation, established in his memory, provides scholarships and supports mental health awareness initiatives.

LEGACY AND CONTINUED INFLUENCE

Years after his death, XXXTentacion’s music continues to generate significant streaming numbers. His songs remain fixtures on emo rap and SoundCloud-era playlists across streaming platforms, and his posthumous releases have continued to chart. His discography represents a complete artistic statement, made more poignant by the fact that it cannot grow.

His death — alongside those of Lil Peep (2017), Juice WRLD (2019), and Pop Smoke (2020) — marked a tragic generation of SoundCloud-era artists whose careers were cut short at their artistic peaks. XXXTentacion, Lil Peep, and Juice WRLD in particular are frequently discussed together as the defining lost voices of the emo rap era.