Fans flock to Florida stadium, mourn rapper killed XXXTentacion

Kelli Kennedy and Joshua Replogle, Associated Press

Updated 21:11, Wednesday 27 June 2018

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Speakers blasted songs of the late rapper XXXTentacion as thousands of fans chanted his words for hours in a Florida stadium to see the artist in a coffin, two braids flowing on the side.

XXXTentacion was shot dead last week at the age of 20 in what the police said was an apparent robbery. His sudden death shocked fans and unleashed praise for a rapper described as a gift and a troubled figure in the world of music.

XXXTentacion, who wore dreadlocks and facial tattoos and spoke his name "Ex ex-ex-ta-see-YAWN", was a rising platinum star selling songs about prejudice and depression. He also drew criticism of bad behavior and multiple arrests, including accusations that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.

On Wednesday, security guards flanked the coffin surrounded by black roses and silver leaves while a row of spotlights lit up the scene of the BB & T Center in Sunrise, Florida, from a police station. capacity of 20,000 seats. Family members and friends gathered in a confined area and wore black T-shirts that said "bad" on the front and "no more pain" on the back.

The crowd began to shake when popular songs appeared and many began to jump and raise their hands in the air, shouting words. On the way to the arena as well as on the stage near the coffin, many fans were crying openly, holding hands and kissing each other.

A fan who identified himself as Choice Bison said on his way that XXXTentacion represented hope and energy.

"What was his gift? Intrepidity, fearlessness," Bison said. "As people, we always wonder what people think of us, and he had a great ability not to worry about what someone was saying, not to care about what everyone thought and give us his authentic identity.

The artist was shot dead while leaving a motorcycle shop in South Florida in his luxury electric sports car, which the police described as robbery. Police arrested a suspect and on Wednesday identified another man as a person of interest.

Another fan, Andrew Cusumano, said that he was sad that the life of XXXTentacion was interrupted early in his career.

"I have listened to it almost every day for the last two years, he was just someone with whom I saw a lot of potential and who wanted to follow his career," said Cusumano. "I thought it would be in the industry a long time ago, and you know I've watched all his videos."

Meanwhile, the investigation into the rapper's death continues.

Dedrick Williams, 22, was arrested last week and accused of murdering the rapper. He has not yet pleaded.

Sheriff Broward's office said on Wednesday that the detectives want to interrogate another man, Robert Allen, 22, about his knowledge of the badbadination. Investigators released photos of Allen, including one taken the day XXXTentacion was killed. Allen was not charged with any crime.

Authorities say in an affidavit that two armed men wearing masks – a black and a red – came out of an SUV that was blocking the rapper's luxury car in front of the Riva Motorsports motorcycle shop. After a fight, XXXTentacion was shot dead by at least one of the men, who took a small bag from his car and escaped into a vehicle that the detectives later retrieved.

After his death, XXXTentacion came top of Billboard Hot 100 with "Sad!" and his two albums landed in the Top 10.

Billboard reports that the rapper-singer's song peaked at No. 7, but jumped this week from No. 52 to No. 1, supplanting Drake's "Nice for What".

_____

Associated Press writer Curt Anderson in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this story.