D Bouey, 21, of Orlando, Fla., right, cries with his friend after a memorial for the rapper, XXXTentacion, Wednesday, June 27, 2018, in Sunrise, Fla. The rapper was gunned down in a luxury sports car last week. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Thousands of fans of the late rapper XXXTentacion chanted his lyrics and made “X” signs at a Florida stadium Wednesday as people lined up for hours to file past a casket where he was laid out in a denim jacket and with two braids splayed over the side.
Security guards flanked both sides of the casket, surrounded by black roses and silver leaves, and a row of spotlights lit the stage at the 20,000-seat BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Loudspeakers at the viewing blasted songs by the rapper, who was gunned down last week at age 20 while departing a motorcycle shop in his luxury electric sports car in what police said was an apparent robbery. Police have arrested one suspect and on Wednesday identified another man as a person of interest.
Family members and friends in a roped-off area wore black T-shirts that said “Bad” on front and “No more pain” on the back. The somber crowd grew rowdy as popular songs came on and many started jumping and raising their hands in the air as they shouted lyrics.
On the way into the arena as well as on stage near the casket, many fans wept openly, held hands and hugged each other. A fan who identified himself as Choice Bison said on his way in that XXXTentacion stood for hope and energy.
“What was his gift? Fearlessness. Fearlessness,” Bison said. “As people, we are always wondering what people are thinking about us. And he just had a beautiful ability to not care what anybody was saying, to not care what anybody was thinking and give us his authentic self.”
XXXTentacion, who sported dreadlocks and facial tattoos and who pronounced his name “Ex ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN,” was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs. He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.
Another fan, Andrew Cusumano, said it was sad XXXTentacion’s life was cut short at the start of his career.
“I listened to him almost every day for the last 2 years. He was just someone I saw a lot of potential in and was wanting to follow his career,” Cusumano said. “I thought he would be around in the industry for a long time, and you know I watched all his videos and the way he interacted with people and he was just genuinely a good person and I wanted to come pay my respects today.
Dedrick Williams, 22, was arrested last week and charged with the rapper’s slaying. He has not yet entered a plea.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that detectives want to question another man, 22-year-old Robert Allen, about his knowledge of the slaying. Investigators released photos of Allen, including one taken the day XXXTentacion was slain. Allen has not been charged with any crime.
Authorities say in an affidavit that two armed men wearing masks — one black, one red — got out of an SUV that was blocking the rapper’s luxury car outside the Riva Motorsports motorcycle shop. After a struggle, XXXTentacion was shot by at least one of the men, who took a small bag from his car and fled in a Dodge Journey that detectives later recovered.
One of the photos of Allen was taken at the motorcycle shop. Surveillance photos also revealed one man wore bright orange sandals, which investigators say Williams also wore on some of his social media posts as “tatoomanchucky.” Video from inside the motorcycle shop also showed one of the two men buying a black neoprene mask before both went back to the SUV, according to the affidavit.
A store employee later identified Williams in a photo lineup as the man who purchased the mask.
Following his death, XXXTentacion topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Sad!” and his two albums have landed in the Top 10.
Billboard reports that the rapper-singer’s song originally peaked at No. 7, but jumped back this week from No. 52 to No. 1, supplanting Drake’s “Nice for What.”
