Look at Me!: The Xxxtentacion Story, Paperback

A Rolling Stone journalist's biography of SoundCloud sensation XXXTentacion, murdered in June of 2018

Rapper Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, aka XXXTentacion, was gunned down during an attempted robbery on the streets of Deerfield Beach, Florida, at the age of 20, having signed a $10 million record deal with Empire Music just a few months prior. A huge success in the world of SoundCloud rap, he achieved stellar levels of success without the benefit of a major label or radio airtime. A truly independent artist, XXXTentacion flourished via his passionate and unfettered connection to his fans.

Unlike most SoundCloud rap, XXXTentacion's music doesn't dwell on money, partying, and getting high. He wrote about depression, suicide, and other mental health issues, topics that led to an outpouring of posthumous thanks from fans who found comfort and support in the musician's work. It was XXXTentacion's vulnerability and insecurities that helped him stand apart from artists obsessed with being successful and "cool." That's not to say he didn't have his share of troubles. He had a number of legal issues beginning in his teenage years and was even in jail when his first single dropped. However, Look at Me is not the tale of a life gone wrong but rather one of a life redeemed--and then cut short.

Through the memories of the people who knew him best, Look at Me maps out the true story of an unlikely cultural icon and elucidates what it was about him that touched the post-millennial generation so deeply.

About the Author:

Jonathan Reiss has worked as a journalist for the last decade, contributing to outlets like Spin, Interview, and the New York Observer. He currently works as a contributing writer for Rolling Stone covering the opioid crisis. His debut novel, Getting Off, was published in 2018 to critical acclaim, with Fjords calling it "a heart-shattering literary high." Prior to that, he spent two years writing almost exclusively about hip-hop for leading magazines like The Source and Complex. Reiss has carved out a niche writing redemption stories from some of the darkest corners of online culture focusing on the drug trade, true crime, and the intersection of technology and sex. His recent memoir story for Narratively saw viral success, becoming one of the most read stories in the site's history. Reiss lives in Brooklyn, New York.