Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}English: /ɛksɛksɛkstɛntəˈsjoʊn/ eks-eks-eks-ten-tə-SYOHN Spanish pronunciation: [tentaˈθjon]) was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gained a cult following among his young fanbase during his short career with his depression- and alienation-themed music. Critics and fans often credit him for his musical versatility, with his music exploring emo, trap, trap metal, nu metal, indie rock, lo-fi, hip hop, R&B, and punk rock. He is considered to be a leading figure in the establishment of the emo rap and SoundCloud rap genres, which garnered mainstream attention during the mid-to-late 2010s.
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy was born on January 23, 1998, in Plantation, Florida, to Jamaican parents, Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy and Cleopatra Eretha Dreena Bernard. His father named him after the Bob Marley song "So Jah Seh", which interpolates Ezekiel 34. Both Onfroy's father and grandfather were Rastafarians. Onfroy was born with a ventricular septal defect, commonly known as a "hole in the heart". Due to his condition, he never grew taller than 5 feet 6 inches. Onfroy stated he also had Syrian, Indian, and possibly Italian ancestry in an interview on The Beat in 2017.
Born in Plantation, Florida, XXXTentacion spent most of his childhood in Lauderhill. He began writing music after being released from a juvenile detention center and soon started his music career on SoundCloud in 2013, employing styles and techniques that were unconventional in rap music such as distortion and heavy guitar-backed instrumentals, drawing inspiration from third-wave emo and grunge. In 2014, he formed the underground collective Members Only and alongside other members of the collective soon became a popular figure in SoundCloud rap, a trap music scene that takes elements of lo-fi music and harsh 808s. XXXTentacion gained mainstream attention with the single "Look at Me". His debut album 17 (2017) is certified triple-platinum in the US and reached number two on the Billboard 200. His second album ? (2018) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and is certified quintuple-platinum in the US. Its lead single, "Sad!", posthumously reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and had amassed more than 1.2 billion views on YouTube and 2.1 billion streams on Spotify by February 2024, as well as being certified Diamond by the RIAA in August 2021.
In 2013, following his release from a juvenile detention center, he and Goulbourne met up again under the belief they were going to commit a string of home invasions for monetary gain, though Onfroy eventually bought a Blue Snowball microphone and began recording music, which convinced Goulbourne to do the same. After Onfroy adopted the moniker XXXTentacion, he uploaded his first non-deleted song, called "Vice City", on SoundCloud, included on his debut mixtape XXX (Unmastered) released on March 5, 2014 . Speaking about his decision to abandon a life of crime for music, Onfroy said that he felt like music was a better outlet for his feelings and then-girlfriend Geneva Ayala was someone who helped him realize that.
Shortly after being released from house arrest, a Snapchat video surfaced of Onfroy hitting a girl, Breonna Starling, in 2013 when he was 15. Onfroy's attorneys claimed the video, which features a caption written by Starling that sardonically reads "I hate this nigga" along with Onfroy dancing to some music before striking the girl, was "obviously . . . in jest".
Onfroy's career as a music artist began in June 2013 after the release of his song "News/Flock". According to interviews, while in juvenile detention for gun possession charges, he met Stokeley Goulbourne, another artist known as Ski Mask the Slump God. Some sources interviewed for a 2020 biography dispute this narrative, and say that the pair met at high school. Onfroy and Goulbourne became good friends and began freestyling. Recalling his time in detention, Onfroy said that he was respectful to the officers and staff and used to protect people from other inmates, including a homosexual cellmate, whom Onfroy later attacked for allegedly staring at him while he was changing clothes. Onfroy stated that the incident had nothing to do with the inmate's sexuality, that he supported gay rights and that he was not homophobic.
In 2014, Onfroy was sent to a youth detention center for a year on gun possession charges. According to Onfroy, during his time in detention, the district attorney was attempting to try him as an adult for gun possession, which would have had a sentence of 5–10 years in prison. Onfroy's narrative of this time in youth detention has been disputed by sources interviewed for a 2020 biography; he may have served one month's detention as part of a wider sentence of less than one year, and his charges cannot be corroborated by public files as he was a juvenile.
Onfroy released his two firsts officials extended plays (EPs), called E.motion and XXX, on April 30, 2014, alongside the original version of the song "Ecstasy" later remixed for Onfroy's last album Bad Vibes Forever. The Nobody's and The Fall were supposed to be part of a trilogy of EPs alongside The Underworld, inspired by The Weeknd's trilogy of mixtapes. However, The Underworld was completely abandoned when he started working on other projects. An unfinished version of The Nobody's was released on July 11, 2014, but it was quickly removed when Onfroy decided to keep working on it before re-releasing this EP completely finished, but it never happened. The Fall was released on November 21, 2014. In 2015, Onfroy released a collaborative mixtape with Ski Mask the Slump God, Members Only Vol. 1, before releasing Members Only Vol. 2 with several members of the growing Members Only collective. On December 31, 2015, the original version of "Look at Me" was uploaded to the SoundCloud account of the song's co-producer, Rojas.
Onfroy met Geneva Ayala in November 2014. The two became in contact when Onfroy messaged Ayala saying that he wanted to fight her boyfriend after her boyfriend had allegedly posted scantily clad photos of her without her consent, though a fight never occurred. Ayala's at-the-time boyfriend alleged that she had punched and slapped him during breakdowns she had, though he admitted he had slapped her back occasionally to "snap her out of it". Ayala's mother kicked her out when she was 16 and she had been living with her at-the-time boyfriend until they broke up. In 2016, Ayala moved in with Onfroy and his roommates.
He would then continue uploading small snippets of his songs that he would either soon release or keep unreleased. Onfroy eventually joined Ski Mask the Slump God's group Very Rare, before breaking off and starting the Members Only collective in 2015, which Ski Mask then also joined. The word "tentación" in his stage name is the Spanish word for "temptation".
On June 22, 2015, Onfroy began to use his long-time YouTube channel "xxxtentacion" (now stylized in all caps), previously used to upload music, to upload gaming videos and vlogs. The channel has 36.7 million subscribers and an estimated 9 billion total views as of April 2022. On January 22, 2018, Onfroy announced on Instagram that he and New York rapper Joey Badass had been creating a project together, and the two released a freestyle to the song "King's Dead" on SoundCloud on March 9, 2018, in preparation for the collaboration.
In August 2015, Onfroy attempted to commit suicide by running into incoming traffic. He was transferred to the hospital for his injuries, and was ultimately fined $86.50 for the incident.
When Onfroy was a child, he discovered his uncle's deceased body after the man committed suicide by hanging. Onfroy referenced his trauma from the incident in multiple songs. In 2017, Onfroy alluded that he had been sexually abused by an unnamed adult when he was a child. Other traumatic events that Onfroy witnessed as a child included someone being physically tortured and someone being raped. According to Onfroy's mother, he was routinely beaten by his father as a child; she claimed that Onfroy's father tried to hit her in front of Onfroy on several occasions. In early 2008, when Onfroy was ten, his father was jailed for nine years in Arizona on RICO charges after the Drug Enforcement Administration organized a sting operation. Onfroy's father was released from BOP custody on October 30, 2015, and deported to Jamaica in late 2016. In a 2017 interview, when asked about his relationship with his father, Onfroy sarcastically asked, "What's a father?"
On July 14, 2016, days after being bailed for stabbing Tablez, Onfroy was arrested and charged with robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and home invasion committed in November 2015. According to the arrest report, Onfroy entered the home of Che Thomas with three other people, armed with a firearm. After pistol-whipping Thomas three times, Onfroy escaped the home with an iPad, an iPhone, a Sony PlayStation Portable, and $20.
Dylan Turner, known professionally as Tablez, a New Jersey native studying at Full Sail University, managed XXXTentacion and his best friend Ski Mask the Slump God in 2016. Due to Onfroy's inexperience in music and Tablez's inexperience in management, they agreed that Tablez would be paid only in the proceeds from the song "Look at Me!".
In 2019, documents and audio of phone calls that Onfroy made to his mother from jail were released, in which Onfroy claimed that his ex-girlfriend may have not been pregnant and claimed that it was his female friends who beat Ayala for getting Onfroy sent to a "mental asylum". Onfroy had been involuntarily hospitalized under Florida's Baker Act in 2016 after Ayala and Onfroy's roommates reported to police that he had attempted suicide.
On April 28, 2016, Onfroy released the EP Willy Wonka Was a Child Murderer, with music heavily inspired by heavy metal and indie music. In 2016, Onfroy quit his job as a call center operator due to his growing music career and moved in with rapper Denzel Curry. In July 2016, Onfroy was arrested and charged with robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. After posting $10,000 bail, Onfroy continued to work on his debut independent album, Bad Vibes Forever, which had a slated October 31, 2016, release date. The album missed the release date and was delayed due to Onfroy being arrested in early October on multiple charges of false imprisonment, witness tampering and aggravated battery of his girlfriend.
Onfroy was public about his political and personal beliefs throughout his career. In 2016, Onfroy opposed the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump and had instead signaled support for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. He also took to Twitter predicting a Trump victory, saying, "As much as I hate that piece of shit Donald Trump, y'all know this motherfucker's gonna win right?" He also stated that, although he did not hold a positive opinion of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, describing her as "garbage", he did not want Trump to win because, "Once Trump gets in it's over for all the minorities pretty much... the lower classes are gonna be fucked." His songs "Hate Will Never Win" and "Suicide Pit" contain anti-Trump lyrics.
XXXTentacion faced a variety of legal issues throughout his lifetime, most notably the controversy that arose from the battery charges that were levied against him in 2016. His history of legal issues and alleged violence has been described by some as defining his legacy, while others have criticized the media's portrayal of him, arguing that his perceived improvements in character later in life have made his legacy into a tale of the power of second chances and redemption.
XXXTentacion's ex-girlfriend Geneva Ayala, who had accused him of domestic abuse in 2016, said of the controversy surrounding her and Onfroy's past, "It's disgusting that people are speaking for me. I don't care if no one cared about me however many months ago, I didn't lose my life. He did. It's permanent. I'm still here. Like, how do you think that makes me feel? Everyone expecting me to be relieved or happy? No, I'm broken." Following XXXTentacion's death, Ayala appeared in the music video and the cover art for the 2019 single "Hearteater".
Onfroy was characterized by much of the media as homophobic following a widely seen interview he gave to Adam22 in April 2016. Onfroy told Adam22 that, one time when he was in a juvenile detention facility, he attacked his gay cellmate for staring at him while naked. Onfroy explained, "I was gonna kill him type shit because of what he did", but was ultimately restrained. After Onfroy's death, Liz Lazzara's article for CNN described him as homophobic, and similar characterizations were made on social media. However, friends and collaborators said he was not homophobic. In the same interview, Onfroy stated in clarification, "I am not homophobic", and expressed his support for the legalization of gay marriage. In a 2017 interview with The Fader which was released in November 2022, Onfroy mentioned that he should have been clearer in the podcast in which he described the fight, stating he wished he had clarified that he did not attack his cellmate for the fact that he was gay, calling his discussion of the topic "negligent and stupid", but stated, "Everybody needs to realize at the time I was still a kid." Regarding his political beliefs, Onfroy was praised as "incredibly progressive" by transgender music producer Fifty Grand. Multiple transgender artists said in a 2020 biography that Onfroy was supportive of the transgender community.
Onfroy was arrested in Orlando originally, but was later transferred to Orange County. His constant relocations were due to an eventually successful plan by prosecutors to find a jurisdiction that would charge him as an adult for a crime committed as a juvenile. He was released on a $10,000 bond in September 2016. Following Thomas requesting that Onfroy not receive prison time, Onfroy pleaded no contest to the charges and was ultimately sentenced to six years probation.
On October 23, 2018, Pitchfork released secretly recorded audio of 18-year-old Onfroy talking with acquaintances around the time of his October 8, 2016, arrest. Pitchfork alleged that he had confessed to domestic violence in the recording and described an incident in which he stabbed eight people. The tape was considered a confession by the prosecution and defense. An extended version of the audio later released included moments after when Onfroy clarified in regards to his ex-girlfriend, "I didn't touch her. I forgave her."
One especially fraught conversation about Onfroy's ex-girlfriend took place on the afternoon of October 26, 2016, when he told a woman, "I already got what I wanted, I already bashed her face—her face on the internet, bruh, I done made her look bad on the internet, bruh." Later that day, an audio clip from the call was posted on Instagram of Onfroy saying he "bashed her face" without the hurried clarification.
In 2017 "Look at Me" gained traction, peaked at number 34 on US Billboard Hot 100 and the top 40 of the Canadian Hot 100. The single helped him gain more popularity due to accusations of Canadian rapper Drake using a similar rap flow in his song "KMT". XXXTentacion's distinctive half-colored hair, which was inspired by The Hundred and One Dalmatians antagonist Cruella de Vil, also drew public attention. During his jail stint, Onfroy signed a deal to be managed by Soloman Sobande (who would remain his manager until his death) and despite Onfroy being in jail during his initial breakthrough, major-label scouts began offering six-figure contracts and Onfroy eventually signed for Empire Distribution for lower royalty rate, full creative control and a smaller upfront payment.
On October 22, 2018, Onfroy's manager Soloman Sobande stated in an interview with Billboard that Onfroy's third album would come "very soon" and that he had more than two album's worth of material. On October 25, 2018, EDM DJ-producer Skrillex released the song "Arms Around You", which is a collaboration he made with Onfroy, Lil Pump, Maluma and Swae Lee. The track was originally recorded in 2017 with Rio Santana, who appeared on Onfroy's ? album, but was later changed to add bigger star co-features. Specifically, Lil Pump contacted Onfroy's mother to ask to use Onfroy's vocals on the track as a tribute. Following the release of "Arms Around You", the song's producer, Mally Mall was interviewed by Power 106's The Cruz Show where he confirmed that nine Onfroy songs were going to be released soon with one having a Rihanna feature and another having a Weeknd feature.
Canadian rapper Drake previewed a new track, titled "KMT", on January 28, 2017. The song, following its preview, was compared by users on social media to Onfroy's breakout song "Look at Me" due to the use of a similar triplet-heavy flow. Before the release of KMT, HotNewHipHop revealed that Drake followed Onfroy's account on Twitter. In an interview with XXL, Onfroy was questioned about the Drake comparisons, responding "If Drake is gonna take the flow, and I don't know if he legitimately did, but if that is the situation, at least reach out to a nigga, help a nigga out in this situation."
Drake released the mixtape More Life on March 18, 2017, which included "KMT". Onfroy was released from jail on probation two weeks later and was subsequently interviewed by WMIB, where he called Drake a "bitch" and said that he respected Drake's influence but felt like "KMT" was disrespecting him. The following day on Twitter, Onfroy posted a picture of Drake's mother saying "she could get it". He then posted a picture of Drake's mother and a child version of Drake with Onfroy's face photoshopped over that of Drake's father, Dennis Graham. Later, in an interview with DJ Semtex, Drake denied those accusations that he stole Onfroy's "flow". Drake also denied knowing him and said that he only heard about him regarding rumors circulated following the "KMT" snippet. Onfroy replied on his Twitter page requesting that Drake "come to Florida", after Onfroy saying that he will not "Twitter rap with niggas".
After posting the bail of $10,000 in early October of the same year, while awaiting trial, Onfroy was arrested again later that month on charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery, and false imprisonment. On March 26, 2017, Onfroy was released from jail on a $50,000 bail while facing charges of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. His trial for the domestic violence and witness tampering charges was originally going to take place in May 2017 and was pushed back several times, and was set to take place on October 5, 2017.
On March 26, 2017, following Onfroy's release from jail, he set up a surprise concert that was arranged for April 7 in Miami. The show had an admission price of $5 until it was apparently filled up. However, before he arrived, a riot broke out. Police eventually escorted Onfroy out and closed the show down.
On June 18, 2019, exactly one year on from XXXTentacion's death, an official documentary on his life was announced; it featured footage of Onfroy from around April 2017 telling biographical details. On February 2, 2022, it was announced that the film, titled Look at Me, would be released on the Hulu streaming service on May 26, 2022.
Onfroy said he believed that, "If weed was legal everywhere, the world would be a better place", and voiced support for criminal justice reform movements, stating that "the judicial system is slavery." Onfroy was anti-war and spoke out against President Trump's decision to launch a missile strike on Syria in April 2017.
After his release from prison on April 18, 2017, he released three more songs on SoundCloud. In an interview with WMIB, Onfroy announced that he was working on the studio albums Bad Vibes and 17; as well as a mixtape, I Need Jesus. In an interview three days after his release from prison, Onfroy said to XXL, "I got this really, really, really good album called 17. That's more of an alternative, R&B sound—then I've got this mixtape called I Need Jesus, which is mainly rap and the underground sound I did."
Onfroy announced his first nationwide tour on April 28, 2017. The tour, titled "The Revenge Tour", had 26 tour dates overall and generated much media coverage, included that of a rapper being assaulted, Onfroy being knocked out after an altercation on stage, an audience member being stabbed, Onfroy being thrown into a barricade by security, and an incident in which Onfroy punched a fan after the fan had placed his hand on Onfroy's chest. He announced the cancellation of the rest of the tour dates due to his cousin being shot on June 24, 2017, though the final tour date in Broward County, Florida, still went ahead and was later streamed on the watchthemusic (WAV) app.
Onfroy released his debut commercial solo mixtape, Revenge, on May 16, 2017. The mixtape consists of eight previously released songs. The collaborative mixtape, Members Only, Vol. 3, with Members Only, was released on June 26, 2017.
Rapper and member of Onfroy's Members Only collective Wifisfuneral was assaulted at the first show in the Revenge Tour in Houston on May 31, 2017. Wifisfuneral stage-dived into the audience where several audience members proceeded to kick him and then leave the venue.
During a concert in San Diego in June 2017, a physical altercation occurred, which led to Onfroy being knocked unconscious and an audience member being stabbed, though the injury was non-life-threatening. The assailant was reported to be an associate of rapper Rob Stone, then involved in a feud involving Onfroy and Ski Mask. The feud had already led to Ski Mask the Slump God being assaulted during rapper Desiigner's Outlet tour. Stone released a diss track following the attack, titled "Xxxtracredit", in which he mentions the attack in San Diego and then proceeds to tell Onfroy to "not come back to California". Later in an interview, Stone denied knowing who that assailant is. In October 2017, Stone confirmed that he and Onfroy had talked and resolved their feud.
Onfroy punched an audience member during a concert at the Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 16, 2017. He claimed this was in self-defense, as he had requested that no one in the audience touch him, warning that he would punch them if they did.
Onfroy was scheduled to perform at the Concord Music Hall in Chicago, Illinois on June 20, 2017. The concert was canceled at the last minute, which led to hundreds of fans flooding the streets and nearly starting a riot. He said that the reason for the performance being canceled was the venue management's decision. Three days later, his cousin was shot and he canceled his tour.
Onfroy's first opener for a major act happened when DRAM brought Onfroy out at a concert on August 9, 2017, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles during Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. Tour.
On August 24, 2017, a day before the release of his debut album, 17, Onfroy uploaded a video to the social media platform Instagram of him depicting the act of suicide by hanging. He later uploaded a video onto Instagram showcasing the video being shot in part of a music video.
Onfroy released his debut album, 17, on August 25, 2017. The album debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200, selling 86,000 album-equivalent units first week. The album received a mixed response from critics, some of whom lauded the album for its personal narratives and diverse musical style. On September 3, 2017, Onfroy announced that Bad Vibes Forever, his second album, was still in production.
Following the release of Onfroy's 17 album, a free concert was announced to take place at the Orpheum in Tampa, Florida, on September 2, 2017. The venue only had the capacity to support 750 concertgoers, but over 3,000 people appeared to attend the concert and the venue had to cancel the concert before a safety hazard was created. This led to many fans of the artist nearly rioting in the street and the police needing to break up the crowd. Some fans later claimed online that they were teargassed by police officers following the riot.
On September 8, 2017, Pitchfork leaked the testimony of the alleged victim in Onfroy's case. The trial was then delayed again with a date of December 11, 2017, announced. Controversy arose once again following Onfroy's choice to donate $100,000 to domestic violence prevention programs, and then further when Onfroy announced an event to support rape victims though it was later canceled due to vandalism.
On September 12, 2017, Onfroy released his first official music video for his 2015 song "Look at Me", as well as sharing a music video with his 2015 song "Riot". Onfroy's label, Bad Vibes Forever, signed a distribution deal with Capitol Music Group subsidiary, Caroline, on October 19, 2017. The deal, reportedly worth $6 million, was for one album only. Shortly afterwards on October 25, 2017, Onfroy announced he was terminating his contract with Caroline despite a representative confirming he was still signed.
Onfroy uploaded a music video to YouTube for his song "Riot" after sharing a music video for his on September 12, 2017. The controversial scene portrays him placing a noose around the neck of a caucasian child then hanging him (representing lynching). The child's mother originally was anxious about the scene but said she was fine with the message being portrayed, which XXXTentacion explained as, "No matter how you look at it, the four murders I showed in the beginning were murders that were done by supremacists that were real. That white boy is still alive. So the people that died in the video are real. Everyone is so bothered by the child being lynched, but whether you realize it or not, the murders in the beginning are all real. Heather Heyer, Emmett Till, Philando Castile, these are real murders. This Caucasian child is still alive. It's art portrayal... It's me basically putting the shoe on the other foot, showing another perspective." Talking on Instagram Live, he told his followers that the video was not just supporting Black Lives Matter, but was also supporting All Lives Matter.
On September 22, 2017, Noah Cyrus released her single titled "Again", featuring Onfroy's vocals.
Onfroy was involved in another brawl with a fan during California's Rolling Loud Festival on October 21, 2017. Onfroy announced on Instagram that the fight was purely self-defense before any video of the altercation was uploaded.
Onfroy announced he was retiring from producing music on October 27, 2017. Onfroy then stated using the Instagram story feature that he would make music again if South Floridian rapper, frequent collaborator, and best friend Ski Mask the Slump God would become his friend again, telling his fans to post "Be friends with X again" on Ski Mask's social media accounts. The post led to a social media exchange between the two, with Onfroy explaining his side using the Instagram Live feature on Instagram:
Two days later, he announced that he was retiring due to negativity and backlash though some publications noted that Onfroy made similar statements before and not followed through. On October 30, 2017, Onfroy announced that he would make music again if fellow Broward rapper and "former best friend", Ski Mask the Slump God, was his friend again. Later, Onfroy answered a fan's question on Instagram Live about his retirement, saying, "Am I quitting? Yes, I'm quitting—I don't know for how long, but I'm just not going to make music right now."
Onfroy had two half siblings—an older sister named Ariana and a younger brother named Aiden. Onfroy lived in Florida with rapper Denzel Curry and producer Ronny J in the past. Before his death, Onfroy was moving into a 6,000-square-foot (560 m ) mansion in Parkland, which he bought, in November 2017, for US$1.4 million. At the time of his death, Onfroy lived with his girlfriend Jenesis Sanchez. The couple owned three cats and two dogs.
Onfroy previewed new music on November 2, 2017, signaling a return to making music. Onfroy announced Bad Vibes Forever again on November 17, 2017, speaking on the album, Onfroy said "It will be a mix of genres you have seen me dabble with, if you are not a fan of me this is not an album for you, it is for core fans only". The album title shares its name with his label. On December 11, 2017, Onfroy released his tenth EP, A Ghetto Christmas Carol on SoundCloud. A day before his hearing for witness tampering charges, Onfroy announced that he was preparing three albums to be ready for 2018, and after being released on house arrest, he announced the titles of all three albums, Skins, Bad Vibes Forever and ?.
Ski Mask replied shortly afterward, using Instagram's story feature, "[I'll] always love that alien-looking nigga named XXX, but I have to distance myself because it's like nobody would see me as an individual rapper if I don't, on top of that, that nigga crazy as hell", Ski Mask then went on to post a much more intense version of the story, claiming that Onfroy threatened his family. On December 8, 2017, Onfroy wrote on Instagram, "don't care about what you said about me, you know who got your back, love you, forever", referring to Ski Mask the Slump God. Later, during Rolling Loud in Miami in 2018, they reunited, ending the feud.
On December 10, 2017, Onfroy posted a message to Instagram, writing "Court date is on the 15th 9:00 am here is my court information, if I am taken into custody, I want to tell everyone I've let down I apologize, I tried my best, I really did ..."; he then released the information of the court hearing.
Onfroy pleaded not guilty on December 14, 2017, and was taken into pretrial custody after a motion was filed by the prosecution on the grounds of Onfroy having violated his bond. He was held without bail. It was confirmed on December 20, 2017, that Onfroy was being released on house arrest. Onfroy was released from house arrest on March 21, 2018.
Onfroy's trial was delayed again after an affidavit was filed by Onfroy's ex-girlfriend Geneva Ayala, the alleged victim in the case, asking for the charges to be "completely dropped". She also declined to testify in court, making the battery charges being dropped or an acquittal of Onfroy on the charges more likely. In reaction, the prosecution moved to split the domestic violence and witness tampering case into two, with additional witness tampering charges being filed against Onfroy and a new trial date announced for December 15, 2017. Despite this, sources close to Ayala said the letter was genuine and that she wanted to move on. Ayala revealed after Onfroy's death that she was against Onfroy receiving prison time.
In February 2018, Onfroy posted on Instagram that he was preparing to return to school. In March 2018 he announced that he was getting his GED, which he completed according to his death certificate, and going to community college. Onfroy was public about his struggle with depression.
Onfroy released his first single of 2018 on February 2, titled "Shining Like the Northstar". He was also featured on long-time collaborator and producer Ronny J's track "Banded Up". Onfroy released the song "Hope" on his SoundCloud account on February 21, 2018, dedicated to the victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which had occurred in Parkland, several miles north of Onfroy's native Plantation. Onfroy announced that he was releasing two songs at midnight on March 2, 2018, both the first singles for his second album ?.
Onfroy announced the release date for his second studio album, ?, on March 12, 2018. He shared the 18-track track listing with features from Joey Bada$$, Travis Barker and PnB Rock. ? was released on March 16, 2018. ? debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming Onfroy's first number one in the country, losing out with his debut album 17 due to Lil Uzi Vert's Luv Is Rage 2. Shortly following the release of ?, Onfroy signed a new album deal with Empire Distribution for his third solo album worth ten million dollars.
The music streaming service Spotify announced on May 10, 2018, that it was going to stop promoting or recommending music by Onfroy, Tay-K, and R. Kelly. Spotify stated, "We don't censor content because of an artist's or creator's behavior, but we want our editorial decisions—what we choose to program—to reflect our values". Onfroy and his team responded criticizing the decision, pointing out that artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Dr. Dre, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson were not being censored despite more severe allegations being levied against them than the ones brought against Onfroy. The decision to remove Onfroy's music from curated playlists was later reversed after Top Dawg Entertainment CEO Anthony Tiffith threatened to remove his label's music from the service. Although Tiffith did the action, Onfroy thanked Kendrick Lamar and Top Dawg as a whole.
At 3:56 p.m EDT on June 18, 2018, Onfroy, upon leaving Riva Motorsports Motorcycle & Marine Superstore in Deerfield Beach, Florida, was blocked from exiting the parking lot by a black Dodge Journey SUV in a premeditated attack. Two armed men exited the SUV and approached the rapper while he was sitting in the driver's seat. A brief struggle occurred and the armed men reached inside Onfroy's vehicle, stole a small Louis Vuitton bag containing US$50,000 and shot Onfroy multiple times. The shooters fled the scene in their SUV. Onfroy was taken by paramedics to the nearby Broward Health North hospital in Deerfield Beach, where he was pronounced dead.
On June 18, 2018, XXXTentacion, age 20, was murdered when he was shot near a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The attackers fled the scene in an SUV after stealing his Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 in cash. Four suspects were arrested and charged with first-degree murder among other charges. In August 2022, one of the four men pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for testimony against the other three defendants in their trial. The trial initiated on February 7, 2023. On March 20, 2023, all three were found guilty on all counts. On April 6, 2023, they were sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
On June 21, 2018, the first posthumous song featuring Onfroy was released, "Ghost Busters", with Trippie Redd featuring Quavo and Ski Mask the Slump God, and was uploaded on Trippie Redd's SoundCloud. XXL released a series of freestyles that Onfroy performed as a part of his "2017 Freshman Cypher". Ugly God released a song titled "Tear Drop" on June 22, 2018, which featured Onfroy's aforementioned unreleased cypher verses, as a tribute to Onfroy. A few months later, he won the Best New Hip Hop Artist at the BET Hip Hop Awards and won the Favorite Album-Soul/R&B for 17 at the American Music Awards. On Trippie Redd's 2021 album, Trip at Knight, a reworked version of "Ghost Busters" titled "Danny Phantom" was released, with XXXTentacion as the sole feature rather than the inclusions of Ski Mask the Slump God and Quavo.
An open casket service for Onfroy took place at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, on June 27, 2018, where fans were allowed to pay their respects. His private funeral took place on June 28, 2018, where rappers Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty and singer Erykah Badu were among the attendees. He was entombed in a mausoleum at Gardens of Boca Raton Memorial Park, Boca Raton, Florida.
Onfroy's death was announced by the Broward County Sheriff's Office at 5:30 pm. Dedrick Devonshay Williams of Pompano Beach was arrested two days after the shooting and held in the Broward County jail. He was charged with dangerous and depraved first-degree murder. In the weeks following the event, triggerman Michael Boatwright and accomplice Robert Allen were arrested and charged with premeditated first-degree murder for their involvement. The third accomplice, Trayvon Newsome, was arrested and charged with premeditated first-degree murder in August 2018. On August 12, 2022, Allen pleaded guilty to the lesser conviction of second-degree murder in exchange for testimony against the other three defendants. Their trial initiated on February 7, 2023. All three remaining perpetrators were found guilty on all counts.
On August 17, 2018, iLoveMakonnen announced a collaboration between Lil Peep and Onfroy titled "Falling Down". A reworking of "Sunlight on Your Skin" made by Makonnen and Peep, the new version features verses by Onfroy that he recorded after Peep's death to pay tribute to Peep. The single was officially released on September 19, 2018.
On New Year's Eve 2017, Onfroy entered a relationship with Jenesis Sanchez, which eventually became a domestic partnership. Sanchez said that in their relationship Onfroy showed changes in controlling his anger and would simply walk away if an argument ensued, rather than ever being physical. Onfroy began saying that he saw his deceased friend, Jocelyn Flores as his "guardian angel" and that it helped him to make better decisions in his relationship. Three days after his death, Onfroy's mother announced on Instagram that Sanchez was pregnant with his child. In an interview, Sanchez said Onfroy was notified three weeks before he passed. The baby was confirmed to be a boy on August 22, 2018, and was born on January 26, 2019, three days after what would have been his father's 21st birthday.
On August 31, 2018, Houston rapper Sauce Walka released his Drip God mixtape which featured a collaboration with Onfroy titled "Voss" produced by Carnage.
On September 27, 2018, Kanye West announced Onfroy would've been a featured artist on his cancelled ninth studio album, Yandhi. The same day, it was reported that Onfroy will also be a featured artist on Lil Wayne's twelfth album, Tha Carter V, which was released the next day. Onfroy was featured on the song, "Don't Cry". A music video was later released on what would've been Onfroy's 21st birthday.
On November 8, 2018, the release date for Onfroy's first posthumous album and his third studio album, Skins, was announced as being given a December 7, 2018. The first single from Skins, titled "Bad!", was released on November 9, 2018. Onfroy was Lil Wayne's surprise feature on his and Ty Dolla Sign's track "Scared of the Dark" from the soundtrack album Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
On January 23, 2019, the Members Only collective and Onfroy's estate released the album Members Only, Vol. 4.
A couple of weeks after Sanchez requested Onfroy's DNA samples to prove the paternity of her son, Onfroy's mother filed to block the test. Onfroy's mother sealed her court filings in opposition, so it is unclear why she objects to a paternity test. Some fans suspect it has something to do with her financial stake in Onfroy's estate. On May 15, 2019, Sanchez won the legal battle and a Florida judge granted access to a DNA sample from Onfroy.
On June 12, 2019, Craig Xen released the song "Run It Back!" which featured Onfroy on the track.
A month after on July 21, 2019, another posthumous song was released, titled "Royalty", which featured one of Bob Marley's children, Ky-Mani Marley, Stefflon Don, and Vybz Kartel. The dance-hall inspired track was the first song released from the album, Bad Vibes Forever, which released in December 2019. On October 21, 2019, the song "Hearteater" was officially released by Onfroy's estate as the second single for the album. On November 22, 2019, the title track of the album Bad Vibes Forever was released. The fourth and final studio album was released on December 6, 2019. In January 2020, Lil Wayne remixed X's song "The Boy with the Black Eyes" for his Funeral album, on the track "Get Outta My Head".
On June 1, 2020, his song "Riot" was re-released onto streaming services to spread awareness to the protests following the murder of George Floyd.
XXXTentacion has RIAA-certified sales of 38 million units in the US and BPI-certified sales of over 7 million units in the UK. He is also one of the Top-20 all-time best selling artists in terms of digital singles, with a total of 49 million RIAA-certified digital sales as of October 2020. In August 2021, XXXTentacion's single, "Sad!", was certified Diamond in the US.
He became the first artist to posthumously release music as NFTs with five scrapped SoundCloud songs on May 10, 2021, in which News/Flock was slightly re-worked on.
In November 2021, Solomon Sobande, Onfroy's manager, said that a posthumous collaboration between Onfroy and late emo rapper Juice Wrld is in the works.
On January 23, 2022, on what would have been XXXTentacion's 24th birthday, his estate announced that they would be releasing his 2014 SoundCloud track, "Vice City", to all streaming services on January 28, 2022. Considered a fan-favorite, the song was his first release on SoundCloud. The release is the first by his estate in efforts to make all his unofficial releases available on main streaming platforms. It was also confirmed that a documentary about the rapper, titled Look at Me, was in the works. It was released on Hulu on May 26, 2022.
On February 23, 2022, rapper Kanye West released the demo album Donda 2, in which Onfroy has featured vocals on the songs "True Love" and "Selfish". On May 23, 2022, it was announced on by XXXTentacion's estate on his Instagram account that a new album, titled Look at Me: The Album would be released alongside the documentary, and that "True Love" would be released as a single from the album on May 27, 2022.
On June 10, 2022, along with his documentary, Look at Me: The Album released, featuring 25 songs including his earlier SoundCloud songs, his biggest hits, and the single "True Love" with Kanye West.
In 2023, singles such as "I'm Not Human" and "Let's Pretend We're Numb" were released onto streaming and digital download, as well as a re-release of Onfroy's 2016 EP ItWasntEnough.
According to YouGov polling as of July 2023, a majority of Americans have heard of XXXTentacion. A plurality of Americans view him positively, with 56 percent of Americans who have heard of him holding a positive opinion, and 19 percent holding a negative opinion. 52 percent of respondents said they have heard of XXXTentacion. He is most famous and popular among Millennials and Generation Z, with 75 percent having heard of him and 65 percent of those holding a positive opinion. He is known by 43 percent of Generation X and 24 percent of Baby Boomers.
As of February 2024, XXXTentacion's last Instagram post before his death holds the record of the 11th most-liked Instagram post of all-time with 32.5 million likes.
In late 2012, Onfroy was arrested for possession of 21 grams of marijuana, a felony in Florida law. He was sentenced to one month of juvenile detention and six months at a behavioral correction facility. Shortly after his release, he was arrested again for breaking into a house to steal a laptop to create music.