Kendrick Lamar was a big fan of XXXTENTACION's music before the latter's tragic passing, something that his family won't soon forget. Moreover, the Florida rapper's father posted a video thanking the Compton lyricist for his support of his son's career, specifically his shout-out of the 2017 project 17. Of course, given X's history of domestic abuse and similar, albeit unconfirmed, accusations against K.Dot, this relationship falls under a darker context. But it doesn't change the appreciation that the late MC's family showed to the former TDE member, nor does it justify past actions or close the door on accountability, growth, learning, or recovery.
"Special big-up, shoutout goes to Kendrick Lamar," XXXTENTACION's father began his message. "Yeah, powerful king, powerful, powerful. My name is Dwayne Onfroy, father of rapper known as XXXTENTACION. I just want to say, first off all, thank you for giving my son a platform when he was an unknown artist. On his first single. You gave him a shoutout when his album released. You stepped up to the plate for him when a lot of people just stood by and stood back. And Spotify had him under pressure, wasn't even attempting to play songs. Real king. I'll always respect you for that, always. California was my home, still love Cali. You understand? Kendrick Lamar: salute, salute, salute. Real yute. Much, much respect, brother."
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XXXTENTACION's Father Thanks Kendrick Lamar + X's Own Past Words For K.Dot
In addition, the mention of Spotify also brings up one of Kendrick Lamar's controversial alleged moves when it comes to XXXTENTACION. The streaming service threatened to remove X, R. Kelly, and others' music due to their criminal behavior, something that Kendrick's label fought against because it would be unjust to subject Black musicians to this rule and not white counterparts. Nevertheless, many saw it as a direct defense of X's actions despite the real story being more complicated and not directly from Mr. Morale. It's still a hot-button issue, and one that came up in his beef with Drake.
Speaking of the Toronto superstar, his relationship to XXXTENTACION is much different to Kendrick Lamar's. They had some rumored beef that involved direct shots and accusations from X, and Drake was even accused of having a hand in his murder. These rumors were quickly debunked by both a court of law and by X's close friends and loved ones. His legacy is a very complicated one, but Kendrick was one of those who saw the good in him despite the warranted backlash that this empathy prompted.
