XXXTentacion: four men charged with rapper's murder

Four men have been charged with the murder of the rapper XXXTentacion, real name Jahseh Onfroy, who was shot dead in Florida last month. They were named as Dedrick Williams, Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome and Robert Allen by the Broward county sheriff.

The men are charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery. Williams was arrested two days after the 20-year-old’s death. Boatright was charged with murder on 10 July, when he was already in jail on a drugs charge. Newsome and Allen remain at large.

XXXTentacion was leaving a motorcycle shop on 18 June when he was approached by two masked and armed men. Detective John Cucio said they “demanded property” from the rapper. At least one of the men shot him before fleeing in an SUV. He later died in hospital. Figures including Kanye West, Louis Theroux and Diplo paid tribute to the star.

The rapper, who had a history of violence against his ex-girlfriend, found success by posting his music on the streaming site SoundCloud. Focusing on depressive themes, he attracted a large, young audience. An open-casket memorial took place in Florida on 27 June. Musicians including Erykah Badu and Lil Yachty attended his private funeral.

Spotify had removed XXXTentacion’s music from their editorial playlists as part of its now-shelved “hateful conduct” policy. It subsequently softened its stance and by the time of his death was heavily promoting his music. His second album, ?, re-entered the the UK Top 10 the week after his death.