XXXTentacion’s father shares poignant message to Kendrick Lamar
Dwayne Onfroy, the father of rapper XXXTentacion, has taken to social media to praise Kendrick Lamar for endorsing his son when he released his debut album. In the hip-hop business, a high-profile endorsement proves invaluable when looking to raise one’s platform.
XXXTentacion, the American rapper whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, died on June 18th, 2018. Aged just 20, he was shot and killed during a robbery at a motorbike dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Although the rapper’s death left many fans mourning his death at such a young age, others note Onfroy’s controversial personal life and conduct on social media. Throughout his teen years, Onfoy was involved in several violent incidents and was charged with several offences, including aggravated battery, robbery, false imprisonment, and witness tampering.
XXXTentacion remains a polarising figure and a warning to young rappers who seek to embody the gangster lifestyle with which the art form is so inherently associated.
In a new post to Instagram, Dwayne Onfroy, who still mourns his son’s premature demise, praised rap star Kendrick Lamar for his support early in XXXTentacion’s career. “Special big up and shout out goes to Kendrick Lamar. Powerful king,” he said. “I just want to say, first of all, thank you for giving my son a platform when he was an unknown artist.”
Continuing, Onfroy remembered when his son released his debut album, 17, which Lamar promoted with a post on X/Twitter. “You gave him a shoutout when his album was released. You stepped up to the plate for him when a lot of people stood back and Spotify had him under pressure and weren’t attempting to play his songs.”
Lamar told his fans to listen to 17 “if you feel anything” and told them that the record contained “raw thoughts”. “Really, king. I’ve always respected you for that,” Onfroy added. “California was my home, still love Cali’. Kendrick Lamar, salute. Salute. Salute. A real yout. Much, much respect, brudda.”
The ‘King Kunta’ rapper’s support was part of his protest against Spotify’s Hate Content & Hateful Conduct Policy. Introduced in 2018, the policy sought to remove XXXTentacion’s content due to his prior charges, which included aggravated battery of a pregnant woman. The streaming platform felt the rapper’s material could promote indecent behaviour. However, Lamar’s camp resisted on the grounds of unjust censorship.