Rapper XXXTentacion was left out of the 2019 Grammy Awards memoriam segment Sunday night and it was reportedly because of his alleged history of domestic violence.
Sources told Variety Sunday, that the late 20-year-old rapper‘s reps pushed hard for him to be included in the segment but the producers ultimately left him out of the piece that recognized other stars we lost in 2018 including Avicii and Mac Miller. (RELATED: Fourth And Final Suspect In XXXTentacion Killing Turns Himself In To Police)
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Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine in December, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow called it a “daunting challenge” when asked if the superstar rapper—born Jaseh Onfrey—would be recognized at the annual awards show. (RELATED: Rapper XXXTentacion Breaks Taylor Swift Single-Day Streaming Record Following Terrible Death)
“I will tell you it’s a daunting challenge,” Portnow explained. “We track those that we lose in our industry in any given year and then we have a process by which we go through it. Our on-air in memoriam — we’re lucky if we wind up [featuring] 10 to 15 percent of those we lose.”
“Because it’s always hard choices,” he added. “All of that is to say, I don’t have any answers for you now, but obviously artists who were prominent and well-known by the public are people who are recognized and we’ll just wind up having to see how it plays out.”
As previously reported, the “Moonlight” rapper was killed last June after leaving a motorcycle dealership in south Florida. Surveillance video that later surfaced from the day of his killing helped police nab and arrest several men who have been charged with the robbery and murder of the young star.
The “SAD!” hitmaker had been facing legal problems for allegedly beating his pregnant girlfriend.