XXXTentacion Signed $10 Million Album Deal Before His Death

Just weeks before he was fatally shot last month, the 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion signed a $10 million record deal.

XXXTentacion quickly gained mainstream fame last year. He became of the biggest names in the rap game, as well as one of the most controversial. While his albums 17 and ? were rising up the charts, allegations of abuse also arose. This made him a difficult partner for recording companies, especially after Spotify removed him from their playlists due to their “hateful conduct” policy.

However, even with the scandals putting a strain on his success, XXXTentacion managed to sign a new agreement with Empire, an independent music company that also helped release his album 17.

In Memoriam: 50 Celebrities Who Died In 2018

Ghazi Shami, the founder of Empire, has revealed that the rapper had “a significant amount of material” for a new record, but there are no set plans for his music’s release. Due to a clause in XXXTentacion’s last contract, Empire would not be able to release music until at least October of this year. However, there is urge for his music to be released while he is still making headlines.

Following his June 18 death, the rapper’s online streams nearly quadrupled and put both of his albums into the Top Five. He also earned a posthumous #1 single for his song “SAD!”. The music video for the song was released the day of his funeral, which uncannily features him fighting his own corpse.

XXXTentacion’s open-casket funeral and viewing took place on June 27, it brought in thousands of mourning fans to the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.