Music: Rap Sensation XXXTentacion Shot Dead

XXXTentacion’s rise was as quick as it was controversial.

In the past year the rapper’s homespun brand of hip-hop pushed him to the front of a pack of young emcees looking to disrupt the genre with a new sound.

Yet trouble and controversy were never far from XXXTentacion, who was killed in South Florida on Monday afternoon just three months after hitting the top of the charts with his latest album.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the rapper, born Jahseh Onfroy, was shot outside of Riva Motorsports in Pompano Beach, Fla., by an unidentified gunman who fled the scene after an apparent robbery. Onfroy was rushed to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. He was 20.

“Everyone at Caroline is shocked to learn of the tragic death of Jahseh Onfroy, professionally known as XXXTentacion,” said a statement from the label that distributed his music.

 “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”

This time last year, Onfroy’s burgeoning career was reaching a new peak.

Although the Florida native had already amassed a fervent cult following and the attention of major labels over his blistering, lo-fi anthem “Look at Me” — it hit the top 40 of the U.S. pop charts due largely to millions of streams from Spotify and Soundcloud — a spat with superstar Drake, who was accused of co-opting its rhythm, put the song and the rapper on mainstream radars.

Soon, XXXTentacion (that's "X -X -X -Ten-Tah-See-Ohn ") found himself as the face of a movement of Soundcloud rappers upending hip-hop tradition.