Before XXXTENTACION would blow up on Soundcloud, and go on to chart billboard with songs like
Fuck Love, Roll in Peace, Jocelyn Flores, Revenge, and Look at Me
Before collaborating with the likes of Kodak Black, Smokepurpp, Trippie Redd, Rich Chigga,
Denzel Curry, and of course, Ski Mask the Slump God
Before X would get locked up several times, and despite the ugly charges, would grow a
massive fan base from behind bars
XXXtentacion is perhaps the most controversial name in hip
hop today. X was voted to XXL's 2017 freshman class by an unprecedentedly loyal and powerful
fan base, which he first developed on sound cloud with music produced with nothing more
than a mic and a laptop. At the same time, X been involved with a never ending parade
of beefs, legal issues, and controversies. And X's often violent present finds its roots
in a childhood filled with abuse, rejection, and juvenile detention.
My name's Michael McCrudden, documenting the life and career of XXXtentacion prior to fame,
here for you on Before They Were Famous. I recently covered his buddy, Ski Mask the Slump
God, and you guys seemed to like that video. So I thought X could probably use an update.
But as always, guys, let me know who you want me to document next in the comments down below.
XXXTentacion was born Jahseh Onfroy on January 23rd, 1998 in Plantation, Florida, just west
of Fort Lauderdale. He was raised by his mother in the Pompano Beach and the North Lauderdale
area. His dad wasn't around much, because he was locked up, and his mother was often
in no shape to take care of her boy. She mentally abused him, and would sometimes pass him off
to others to raise him in her place. Despite this, she would also often compliment X on
his looks and dress him up in Ambercrombie & Finch. He loved his mother to bits and always
wanted her attention. A man she was dating put her hands on his mom when he was 6 or
7 and he attacked the man biting him while holding a shard of glass.
X was a serious scrapper throughout his childhood. While attending Margaret Middle school, he
got in such a crazy brawl that he was kicked out of school. His mom kicked him out the
house, and he moved to Lauderhill to live with his Grandma. He had little focus or plans
for the future but he did love music. X would not only listen to the most popular rappers
like Lil Wayne, TuPac and Biggie, but he would also listen to Nirvana, The Fray, Three Days
Grace, and Papa Roach. Taking note of his interest in music, his aunt put him singing
classes and he spent some time learning the guitar and piano. He also took Karate classes
and is a big fan of the UFC. He must take notes cause for a a guy who is 5'6 and 120Lbs
this kid can fight.
Brawling would be a problem through his life and he got kicked out of at least one other
school. At one point he was put in a behavioural correction spot known as the sharing house
and spent 9 months at a bootcamp.
His formative years weren't all bad news, the kid was swimming in women. He was popular
on Tumblr and Facebook and had a a line up of girls he could get with.
Outside of music, chicks and fighting he did have one other hobby, breaking into homes
and robbing them. In his teens he racked up a slew of charged including armed robbery,
possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, possession of narcotics...the list goes on
and on.
His life was rough and tough. He was the target of drive bys and took a bullet in his shoulder.
Music became the only consistent interest in his life, and his only hope for a better
future. He dropped his first song Vice City in March of 2014, before getting sent to a
youth detention centre for a year on gun possession charges. At the time he had a big following
on Tumblr and Facebook, but that would fall off while he was locked away. The upside was
while in prison, he found a best friend in Ski Mask Slump God.
On the down side he nearly murdered a man while inside. X's cellmate apparently took
a liking to him, never taking his eyes off him, even in the shower. X states that he
has no problem with people of any sexuality, but when the man crossed the line, X snapped
and attacked him cracking his head open and then he started strangling the man.
The guards stepped in and X is thankful that they did cause he swears he would of killed
the man. His cellmate ended up in ER and X was sent to the hole. Now, let's get back
to him and Ski Mask. The two had a strong bond and when X told him he had been making
music Ski Mask wanted in so they began discussing their future post prison as rappers. When
they got out they were focused and after they dropped the track Fuck, X began picking up
a fanbase again.
The distorted sound created with minimal equipment mixed with his taste for diverse styles of
music quickly began bringing in huge numbers for his sound cloud account. Today tracks
like Skin, Teeth, Riot, Tummy Tuck, & I Love It When They Run all clock in millions of
plays.
But while his career was on the rise, X would have to contend with more legal trouble. In
July of 2016, X was arrested on charges of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
You gotta imagine that he might have been a little bit worried that his career would
die out a second time with him unable to make music, but the complete opposite thing happened.
Word of his incarceration drew more attention to his music and artistry. The hashtag #FreeX
would be used widely online and his rare interviews like his sit down chat with No Jumper would
clock in millions of views.
X posted bail, set at 10 thousand dollars, but it wouldn't be long before he would be
back behind bars. On October 8th, 2016, he was arrested again, this time charged with
aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment,
and witness-tampering. While in Jail, X would get mixed into the beef brewing between ski
mask the slump god and Rob Stone. I've talked more about that in the before they were famous
videos on ski mask and rob, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, be sure to check
out those videos. Another beef X began in jail was with Drake. On January 28th, 2017,
Drake previewed a track called KMT, which fans believed was a rip off of X's break out
song, Look at Me. At the time, X wasn't too hard on Drake, telling XXL,
“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.”
But after his release from jail, the beef with Drake would escalate. X made bail and
would be out of jail on March 26th, 2017, but still on probation for his robbery charges.
In an interview, he called Drake a Bitch, and said that he felt that KMT was disrespecting
him. The following day on twitter, he posted pictures of Drake's mom on twitter, saying
“she could get it”. Drake, of course, denied that he stole X's flow, and at the
time of this recording, the beef appears to be on going.
Following his release from jail, X would have a series of concerts that would turn bloody,
beginning with a surprise concert held on April 7th in Miami. With a low admission price
of just 5 dollars, the venue was filled up before he arrived. When he started performing,
a riot broke out, which had to be put down by police. During a performance in San Diego,
X was knocked unconscious by an alleged associate of Rob Stone. A few days later, Rob released
a diss track aimed at him, called XXXtracredit.
In June of 2017, X punched an audience member during a concert in Salt Lake City, Utah,
according to him, in self defence.
Then, a few days later, X was scheduled to perform in Chicago, but cancelled last minute.
As a result, hundreds of fans flooded the streets, and nearly started a riot. But despite
the violence at his concerts, his aggressive feuds with other rappers, and his on going
legal issues, his fans stayed loyal, enough to secure him the tenth spot on XXL's 2017
Freshman Class List.
On August 25th, 2017, X released his debut studio album, 17, which entered the Billboard
200 chart at number two, and hit number one on the rap and hip hop charts. Following the
release of this album, X held a free concert in Tampa on September 2nd. Over 3000 people
showed up to the venue, which was only large enough for 750 people. The venue cancelled
the concert over safety concerns. The disapointed fans gathered outside until the crowd was
dispersed by police.
His trial for the domestic abuse charges is scheduled for October 2017. If convicted,
he could face serious time in prison, but no matter how the trial goes, his image and
reputation were once again at risk of being tried in the court of public perception. In
September of 2017, Pitchfork obtained a transcript of X's alleged victim's deposition, and published
a grim timeline of their relationship, at least from the reported victim's perspective.
According to her deposition, X convinced her to leave her boyfriend to move in with him
in late May, 2016. Two weeks she claims, the abuse began, with X breaking her phone and
slapping her. Other more salacious accusations include X threatening to penetrate her with
a barbecue implement, beating her with plastic hangers until they broke, locking her in a
room for two days, threatening to murder her on a near daily basis, threatening to cut
out her tongue, putting a knife to her throat, and repeatedly slapping, punching, elbowing,
choking, head butting and tackling her. And some of these things, she claims, occurred
while she was pregnant. The alleged victim snuck out of X's home around 2 am on October
8th, 2016, and contacted her ex boyfriend's mother, her drove her to the Miami Beach police
station. Now, of course, all of this is just one side of the story. X has denied the charges
in several interviews and pled not guilty. In a recorded phone call that appeared on
youtube in October of 2016, he not only said she was assaulted by someone else, but also
claimed to have evidence that she was not pregnant.
Regardless, the shocking details the alleged victim has shared in her deposition continue
to plague the young rapper. After the pitchfork article dropped, he took to instagram to say,
“I am not what they make me out to be, you were informed, do not be blind”
He would later continue to post about the topic between September 11th and 12th, in
part writing,
“I will not have fabricated stories pushed on me, and have people trying to make me submissive
off some shit I ain't do, I'm good.”
He would go on to say, via video post,
“Everybody that called me a domestic abuser, I’m finna domestically abuse y’all little
sister pussy from the back...if you want your pussy domestically abused, hit my line.”
Since then, X has gone on to delete everything off of his Instagram page, save for one picture
of himself sporting a whole new look. He's dyed his dreads all grey, and is sporting
a new forehead tattoo of a tree. (SHOW THE PIC)
As for the rest of the story, well, we'll have to wait and see, because this is Before
They Were Famous. My name's Michael McCrudden, thanks for watching. Two more videos for you
right here. Hit subscribe. And let me know who you want me to document next.