Kanye West, J. Cole, And More Pay Tribute To XXXTentacion
Controversial rapper XXXTentacion died Monday (June 18) at the age of 20 after being shot in South Florida. The young rapper's ascent was plagued and partially indebted to his ongoing legal troubles. The "SAD!" artist served jail time and faced a slew of charges, including a domestic violence case dating back to 2016.
His propensity to troll the hip-hop elite coupled with his provocation of critics made him one of rap's most contentious figures. Since news of his shooting and death, many in the hip-hop community have taken to social media for an outpouring of support.
One of XXXTentacion's closest friends and fellow South Florida rapper Ski Mask the Slump God took to Instagram to post a picture of his fallen associate. In October 2017, Ski Mask distanced himself from the "Look At Me!" rapper after claiming he threatened his family on Instagram. However, in one of the most surprising moments at 2018's Rolling Loud, the two rappers hit the stage together. At one point during the performance, XXX told Ski, "Yo bro, I love you, bro."
One of the more surprising condolences comes from J. Cole. In X's 2017 XXL Freshman freestyle, he dissed the Fayetteville MC with the lines, "Don't understand why J. Cole talkin' 'bout false prophets / But didn't mention higher-ups / Change your name to Amber Cole / These fucking entertainers is playing it by the rules / Sucking government dick for safety to stay cool."
Despite X's freestyle, in a January interview with Adam Grandmaison of No Jumper, Cole called the South Florida rapper "talented."
"This got me fucked up," Cole tweeted today. "RIP X. Enormous talent and limitless potential and a strong desire to be a better person. God bless his family, friends and fans."
Perhaps the most high-profile response came from Kanye West. While the Chicago rapper has never collaborated with X, he did share that he is inspired by the South Florida artist.
"Rest in peace," Kanye tweeted. "I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here thank you for existing."
Read the rest of the music world's reactions below.
