Did XXXTentacion have children? All about the late rapper trending online on his seventh death anniversary

Late American rapper and songwriter XXXTentacion passed away on June 18, 2018, at the age of 20. On his seventh death anniversary this year, the internet has been remembering him and paying their tributes.

XXXTentacion had a son, seven months after his death, in January 2019. The child named Gekyume Onfroy was born to his girlfriend, Jenesis Sanchez. The rapper’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, announced the birth of her grandkid at the time.

The Skins hitmaker was murdered near a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on the late afternoon of June 18, 2018. He was shot several times around his neck by multiple assailants while his Louis Vuitton bag containing $50,000 was stolen in an apparent robbery.

While the attackers fled the crime scene in an SUV, the rapper was transferred to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Later, four men, namely Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Robert Allen, were arrested as suspects and charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery, among other felony counts.

In August 2022, one of them pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and later testified against the other three in the February 2023 trial. In March of that year, the three men were convicted on all charges by a grand jury and sentenced to life in prison without parole in April 2023.

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Exploring the life and career of XXXTentacion on his seventh death anniversary

XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, was born on January 23, 1998, in Plantation, South Florida, to a teenage mother. He was raised by his grandmother, family friends, and babysitters.

As a kid, the rapper often got into trouble in his school and neighborhood; however, he soon channelled it into music. He entered the Florida rap scene in 2013 and later became a pioneer in the genre of SoundCloud Rap as a 20-year-old.

He is remembered for songs including SAD!, Look At Me!, hope, and changes, among others. XXXTentacion’s albums include 17, ?, and the posthumously released Skins and Bad Vibes Forever.

Following the release of his debut album 17, which reached number 2 on the U.S. charts, Kendrick Lamar praised XXXTentacion and tweeted at the time,

"Listen to this album if you feel anything. raw thoughts."

Later, his agent, Solomon Sobande, told Billboard in 2017 that when he discovered Onfroy, he knew he had to help him.

"He's just a young kid who was lost and needed a chance in life. So much stuff around him touched my heart. I just came to the point like, 'I gotta help this kid.'"

The Moonlight rapper was also part of the Florida-based hip-hop collective, Members Only, and shared a huge fan following for his music. Some of his other nicknames were X, XXX, Triple X, Jah, and Young Dagger Dick.

XXXTentacion’s YouTube channel remains active after his death, with over 42 million subscribers and 11 billion views. He worked with labels such as Empire, Capitol, Columbia, Caroline, and his own, Bad Vibes Forever.

Though he found early success, his life was filled with legal issues, including domestic violence accusations and 15 felony charges pending at the time of his death, according to CapitalXtra.com.

He had a tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Geneva Ayala between 2014 and 2016. Subsequently, he dated Jenesis Sanchez, who later gave birth to the rapper’s only child, Gekyume.

According to The Guardian, the rapper named his son before his demise and defined it as “a different state” or “next universe of thought.” While he didn’t disclose that he and Sanchez were expecting, following his demise, XXXTentacion’s mother Cleopatra Bernard announced the pregnancy.

She later also announced the birth of Gekyume on January 26, 2019, three days after what would have been the artist’s 21st birthday. The boy is now aged 6 and often appears on his mother's and grandmother’s social media accounts. Yume, as he is fondly called, is often seen wearing a diamond pendant with his late father’s portrait.

Edited by Divya Singh