Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Alicia Keys deleted a tweet celebrating late rapper XXXTentacion following a wave of criticism from her fans.
On Friday, the "Empire State of Mind" artist posted a video of herself and her son Egypt singing and playing XXX's “what are you so afraid of” on the piano, reports Complex. The video was also accompanied by a caption praising the Skins rapper's talent.
“Such a vibe!! Big love to the talented @xxxtentacion !! Gone too soon,” she wrote. Skins was XXXTentacion's last album, released posthumously in December of last year. According to Billboard, the album dominated and stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for several weeks.
The tweet quickly went south.
Known for his lengthy history of domestic abuse, the Florida artist has become a controversial figure over the past two years. Reports of domestic violence and violent homophobia marred the 20-year-old's career.
Fans of the troubled musician, however, continue to demonstrate a never-ending adoration for XXX. They often defend him from critics by claiming he was on the verge of changing and on a path of growth before his death.
In June, the artist was killed outside of a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Twitter users blasted the "Girl on Fire" singer for her endorsement and dismissed the praise.
— nate (@needytonight) January 5, 2019
Yes you better delete the tweet miss homewrecker @aliciakeys
pic.twitter.com/XlDlJoTkYY— . (@TheLionBey) January 5, 2019
really sad to read something like this from someone I like a lot
you're a woman, you understand us, you understand our fight 🙁
i'm so disappointed— andreza (@drunkinstone) January 4, 2019
Alicia Keys deleted that whack extension tweet? I'm glad people dragged her for it. Kmt imagine in 2019 lol you're CHOOSING to be ignorant at this point
— ????????Normaican???????? (@normaican) January 5, 2019
I hope Alicia Keys is drafting an apology and not just deleting her tweet to pretend it never happened …
— adina (@adinarees) January 5, 2019
I’m starting to believe that a lot of these celebs are part of a cult. Their groupthink mentality worries me. How are they seeing something about xxtension cable that we’re clearly missing??
— Kelechi Okafor (@kelechnekoff) January 4, 2019
— the topic of gossip in syosset (@flyleilah) January 4, 2019
Many of his fans fired back reiterating XXX's efforts to change his life and better himself.
Do you think you are perfect??? Shame on you for shaming Alicia keys just bc she supported xxx tentacion ….. If she loved him she did…. Shame on you …. You are not perfect yet you are here judging and throwing shade…the world doesn't need people like you????
— __punchy__ (@__punchy___) January 5, 2019
You obviously know nothing about his life considering you made this tweet
— Rumple ???? (@Acesaproccy) January 4, 2019
Alicia Keys deleting X's love post 'cause hate and unrespectful. Really guys, you're trash.
LONG LIVE JAHSEH.— Jxhsehism. (@Jxhsehism) January 5, 2019
Since his death, XXXTentacion's popularity and music sales have skyrocketed. Talks of a TV pilot based on the Florida native are even reportedly in the works. But abuse will always be a footnote to his legacy.
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