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The late rapper XXXTENTACION’s life was embroiled in controversy, and what makes better television than that?
D-Lux Entertainment put out a backstage.com casting call for the lead role in an untitled TV pilot based on the rapper’s life. They were looking for an African-American male between the ages of 18-25 who is “confident, yet not overtly cocky”.
Jahseh Onfroy, formerly known as XXXTENTACION, was a Florida rapper, singer, and songwriter, who would start the craze surrounding SoundCloud rappers with his surprise mainstream hit “Look at Me!”. He since released three proper studio albums; Revenge, 17, and ?, with his fourth project, Skins, being released to the public after his death.
Throughout the course of his life, he would have trouble with the law – due to several cases of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, and domestic abuse. With all of these charges, he would eventually meet bail, or have them officially dropped.
What makes XXXTENTACION an interesting character, is the fact that his music is incredibly personal, with him being open about his struggles with mental illness. The disparity between Onfroy’s alleged actions and his art is incredibly large, with certain songs featuring him directly talking to the listener about his insecurities.
On June 18th, 2018 in his hometown of Deerfield Beach, Florida he would be fatally shot by 22 year old Robert Allen and 20 year old Trayvon Newsome. Minutes after his death, @SniperGangRed on twitter posted “Bruh I really just shot XXXtentacion 💀 I’m finna go viral”.
XXXTENTACION’s team has kept his image in the public consciousness in the months surrounding his death, by releasing animated music videos to some of his recent songs, and featuring him on projects by using unreleased tracks. Beyond official releases, the internet has kept Jahseh’s image alive by heavily featuring him in meme culture.
According to the casting call, the show should have been in production sometime between the months of January and February of 2019, but because it is only a pilot, it would have to be bought by a network or streaming service for it to ever see the light of day. If the show does get released, it should expect a fairly large response, due to the fact that X’s fan base, as well as his critics, are as large as ever.
If there are any updates to the story, The Cinema Spot will keep you up to date. Gekyume.