Portrait of XXXTentacion in a black polo against a blue wall

XXXTentacion

2016musician / internet figureclassic

Published October 8, 2026

XXXTentacion was the stage name of Florida rapper Jahseh Onfroy, whose breakout track 'Look at Me!' and lengthy jail record made him one of the most contested figures of the SoundCloud rap wave. His murder in June 2018 split the internet, with Reddit stickying memorial edits while other users mocked his death over his felony history.

hip hop memes soundcloud origin memes death hoax tragedy memes scandal memes 2018 memes

Overview

XXXTentacion mixed rap with emo, nu-metal, and acoustic textures, which set his output apart from most SoundCloud-era peers1. His breakout track 'Look at Me!' charted in 2017 while he sat in jail, and the song pulled wider attention after Drake was accused of lifting its flow on 'KMT' with Giggs1. Fans called him X or Yung Dagger Dick, and his incarceration record ran alongside his rising profile5.

The meme side of XXXTentacion sharpened after his death on June 18, 2018. Tribute edits paired his face with other young celebrity deaths, and he became one of the more divisive posthumous figures online because fans split hard over his felony charges1. The music video for 'Look at Me!' kept pulling views in the aftermath and is still one of his most watched uploads3.

Origin & Background

Platform
SoundCloud (music) / Reddit (memorial memes)
Date
2016

Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy was born in Plantation, Florida on January 23, 1998 and raised mostly by his grandmother1. He was expelled from middle school after fights, then dropped out of Piper High School in 10th grade1. In 2014 he was sent to a juvenile detention center where he met Stokeley Clevon Goulbourne, who later rapped as Ski Mask The Slump God1.

His first track 'Vice City' came out in 20132. 'Look at Me!' first premiered on co-producer Rojas's SoundCloud account in late December 2015 and hit digital download on January 29, 20164. The song charted in 2017 while he was in jail on charges of false imprisonment, witness tampering, and aggravated battery of a pregnant victim1.

How It Spread

Interest in XXXTentacion jumped in 2017 after Drake's 'KMT' dropped with Giggs and fans accused Drake of borrowing the flow from 'Look at Me!'1. His Members Only crew with Ski Mask The Slump God kept building an underground audience in parallel, and A$AP Rocky posted 'Free my nigga X' on Snapchat in support while he was incarcerated1. The 'Look at Me!' music video kept climbing on YouTube through this stretch3.

On June 18, 2018, Onfroy was shot in Miami while leaving a motorcycle shop, and the local sheriff confirmed his death on Twitter the same day1. /r/dankmemes stickied a memorial post picturing him arriving in a heaven packed with Steve Irwin, Prince, and Harambe, which pulled over 8,000 points4. At the same time, a slice of K-pop fans on Twitter mocked the death given his felony history, which pushed an /r/OutOfTheLoop thread asking why4.

Years later his name is still used as shorthand for the late-2010s SoundCloud rap era, with Urban Dictionary entries calling him one of the most popular rappers of his generation5.

Timeline

1998-01-23

Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy born in Plantation, Florida.

2013

Releases his first track 'Vice City'.

2014

Sent to juvenile detention, meets future collaborator Ski Mask The Slump God.

2015-12

'Look at Me!' premieres on co-producer Rojas's SoundCloud account.

2016-01-29

'Look at Me!' released for digital download.

2017

'Look at Me!' charts after Drake is accused of lifting its flow on 'KMT' with Giggs.

2018-06-18

Onfroy shot in Miami; /r/dankmemes stickies a memorial image that passes 8,000 points.

How to Use This Meme

XXXTentacion mostly shows up in two meme formats: tribute edits that place him alongside other young celebrity deaths like Harambe or Prince, and 'RIP X' captions dropped into comment sections, Soundcloud posts, and anniversary edits each June 18.

Frequently Asked Questions