Kanye West, J. Cole, others respond to XXXTentacion's fatal shooting

Isaac Feldberg
Updated

Prominent figures from the music world and beyond are expressing shock and sadness at the shooting death of 20-year-old rap breakout XXXTentacion earlier today.

The “Look at Me” rapper, who’d recently been freed from house arrest to tour in support of his Billboard-topping sophomore disc ?, was fatally shot in his car outside a motorcycle dealership in South Florida on Monday morning.

One of the most notable SoundCloud rap success stories since Chance the Rapper, XXXTentacion (real name: Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy) was a controversial figure in the music industry. His house arrest had been imposed as he awaited trial for a variety of charges stemming from his alleged violent abuse of an ex-girlfriend. Even as his star rose with a spot among XXL’s 2017 Freshman Class followed by a $6 million record deal this year, some in and around the industry boycotted his music.

News of his death, however, drew a strong reaction from many of his fellow rappers, including Kanye West, who said he was “inspired” by the young musician. J. Cole had similarly kind words, calling him an “enormous talent” and saying he had a “strong desire to be a better person.” A roundup, below:

I PRAY IT ISNT TRUE AND IF IT IS GOD BLESS THE ONES THATS CLOSE TO HIM ,

A post shared by 2 Chainz Aka Tity Boi (@2chainz) on Jun 18, 2018 at 2:58pm PDT