Assassinated at just 20 years of age at Deerfield Beach in Florida, American rapper and cult icon, XXXTentacion – referred to as X – garnered a reputation for his “nihilistic” approach to life and chart-topping hits. The Florida rapper’s life was dotted with controversies, and there are questions that die-hard fans are still looking to be answered – one of the biggest questions still asked is who is X’s song ‘Jocelyn Flores’ about?
The track ‘Jocelyn Flores’ is about a girl who committed suicide shortly after an argument broke out between Flores and another girl during a trip to Florida to see the rapper. In the song, X explores the pain he felt following the discovery that Flores had taken her own life, and in the description of a track on SoundCloud, he wrote: “Rest in peace, Jocelyn, I will have my revenge upon the world.”
But the release of ‘Jocelyn Flores’ wouldn’t be the end of the story. Much like the tone and lyrics of the track itself, the story of the death of Jocelyn Flores is both nuanced and intriguing, and what happened in months following the track’s release would leave X’s fanbase lost for words.
How Did Jocelyn Flores Die?
It is believed that Flores took her own life after X purportedly told the 16-year-old to go back to her home in Ohio after a dispute between her and another girl X knew turned sour. The altercation between the two girls is claimed to have been engendered by the alleged theft of seven thousand dollars from X’s bag.
It is understood that Flores then decided to take her own life in the bathroom of a hotel suite in Coconut Creek, Florida.
It is also believed that Flores had only met X about a month before her death, after the two began speaking online.
What is the Song About?
In the track ‘Jocelyn Flores’, which was released only a few months after the teenager’s death, X raps about his own experience in dealing with Flores’ death. The tone of the track is sedate and remorseful, speaking volumes about the way X felt about the relationship he had on Flores.
During the track, X raps: “I’m in pain, wanna put ten shots in my brain. I’ve been tripping ‘bout some things, can’t change. Suicidal, same time I’m time. Picture this, in bed, get a phone call. Girl that you f***** with killed herself. That was this summer and nobody helped.”
Looking at X’s bars, it’s easy to see that the rapper was struggling with feelings of guilt and loneliness. In the Genius analysis, it is noted that X “can’t stop thinking about her” and “gets candid about his own emotional struggles”.
Controversy Following the Release of ‘Jocelyn Flores’
Although the track was well received by his fans and also did very well critically, peaking at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, X would land himself in hot water after failing to notify the family of his intentions to release a track inspired by the death of their daughter.
The family of Jocelyn Flores knew nothing of the release of the single and it wasn’t until the teenager’s uncle heard the track after its release did they get wind of it. Regarding the moment he heard the song, Flores’ uncle said: “I couldn’t believe it… I saw the thing. It said ‘Jocelyn Flores!’ on the thing. I was like, what the hell?”
Flores’ aunt, Brandee Ramirez, wasn’t happy with X’s lack of communication with the family and publicly stated: “[He] “didn’t even give us the courtesy [of] saying hey, I’m going to do this, I hope you guys are OK with it!” Ramirez went on to make the claim that X was only using the death of Flores for publicity.
Not all of the family were upset by X’s actions though, with Flores’ step-sister suggesting that the use of Flores’ name as a song title was an honor. X would later take to social media to offer his condolences to Flores’ family.
A number of Flores’ family wanted more face-to-face communication with X following the girl’s death, and Flores’ father at one point tried to arrange a phone conversation, but X never responded.
“We just wanted to know what her last day was like,” Ramirez stated. “That torments me. I just want to know the last day. Please. Tell me anything. What did she do that day? What did she eat? When was the last time you saw her? Did you take her to Universal Studios like you promised her? What is it that you did with her? What was her last day like?”
The Death of XXXTentacion
On the 18th June 2018, just over a year after the death of Jocelyn Flores, X was assassinated during a robbery. The 20-year-old rapper was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead shortly after the violent incident.
Following the rapper’s death, Billboard reported that their single-day streaming record was broken by X’s track ‘Sad!’, with over 10.4 million listeners honoring X’s death.
XXXTentacion – whose full name was Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy – lived a high tempo life that attracted as much adoration as it did condemnation. And, so was his level of cult fandom, questions surrounding X’s life are unlikely to stop being asked any time soon.
In the aftermath of Jocelyn Flores’ death, an Instagram page based on the likeness of the teenager has become a space for young people who are struggling with depression and other mental illnesses to talk to one another and share their experiences.