In a throwback to an era that we all hoped rap music had moved away from, singer, rapper and songwriter XXXTentacion died in a shooting in South Florida in June. He was only 20 years old. He may have only been at the start of his career, but he was already a big deal both on the stage and in the newspapers. His album "?", released in March, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Away from the stage, he was facing mounting legal problems, not least battery of his pregnant girlfriend.
XXXTentacion seemed to know that the end of his life was a possibility. In a video he posted on Instagram very shortly before he was gunned down, he spoke of how he'd like to be remembered if he died a tragic death, and what influence he'd like to have on young people who were touched by his music. Specifically, he spoke of wanting them to "take his message and turn it into something positive".