Born Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy on January 23, 1998 at Plantation General Hospital in Plantation, Florida
He was born with ventricular septal defect which is basically a hole in the heart.
Jah and his mother Cleopatra Eretha Bernard, Jamaican immigrant. She was 18 years old when she had Jahseh.
Because of his heart defect, his parents were told that he shouldn't play too rough and would only grow to be 5'6".
Jah and his father Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy. He was also a Jamaican immigrant when he was living in the U.S.
Dwayne named him Jahseh - patois word meaning "from the mouth of God" or "God speaks".
His childhood was a huge part of his art. The traumas from it created that dark and healing music that we have the privilege and honour to experience. He channeled it directly in order for others to "repair their souls," just as he was ultimately doing so. This particular photo was used for the deluxe release of his "?" album.
His parents were not together when he was born. The first year of his life was spent living with his father, who dealt drugs, made music, and worked odd jobs in order to provide for little Jahseh and his sister Ariana. This meant that Dwayne's girlfriend at the time, mother of Ariana, would take care of Jahseh while Dwayne was working.
After the first year, Dwayne and his then girlfriend had a domestic dispute about him cheating which led to Jahseh being given to his mother, Cleo. Dwayne was still a somewhat active part of Jahseh's life, even after 2008, when he went to jail for 8 years due to marijuana sales. When he was released, he had to go back to Jamaica.
Jah was all over Broward County, as a kid, being babysat by his grandmother, his uncle, and whoever else Cleo could find. She worked as a stripper and was very absent in Jahseh's life for that reason, as well as the fact that she was young and going through so much on her own.
He mainly grew up on the Deepside (impoverished side) of Lauderhill, also known as Jamaica Hill because it has the largest population of Jamaican immigrants and people of Jamaican ancestry.
This meme is actually very tell-tale of how he was as a youth and adolescent. He was a huge fan of porn and was very open about it, in addition to aspiring to star in his own porn someday. He would often introduce himself as Yung Dagger Dick, in reference to the fact that his penis had no girth but did indeed have length. I say all of this to note how his public embrace of personal truth goes hand in hand with not only his alias XXXTENTACION but also, his presence of shedding light on that which is often hidden in the dark causing us to feel alone and outcasted. "You are never alone."
Jah and his sister (by way of his father Dwayne) Ariana Onfroy
Oftentimes, his uncle would stay at Jah's mother's house and babysit Jah. His uncle dealt with heavy depression and would sometimes take his anger out on little Jah. When Jah was five or six years old, he came home from school one day and literally discovered that his uncle had committed suicide.
Jah and his sister Ariana
Jah and his sister Ariana
Jah and his sister Ariana
Jah and his little cousin Leo
Jah and his little brother Aiden Kerr
Jah got into a lot of fights in school just so that his mom would have to pick him up from school and talk to him. "I chased her." He craved her attention and he always felt a void within himself because this wasn't satiated in the way that he needed.