Rapper XXXTentacion signed a multi-million dollar record deal just a few weeks before he was fatally shot outside a motorcycle shop in Florida on June 18.
According to The New York Times, XXXTentacion inked the lucrative deal with independent music company, Empire, for what would have been his third album. The label has also released albums from rappers Freddie Gibbs and Tyga.
Three unnamed sources told The Times XXXTentacion’s deal would have paid the rapper around $10 million.
Read More: Rapper XXXTentacion Predicted His ‘Tragic Death’ in Instagram Video
XXXTentacion, 20, was a rising star who started his career by posting songs on SoundCloud, and eventually logged millions of streams on Spotify.
Empire released his debut studio album, 17, in August 2017.
Empire founder, Ghazi Shami, told The Times the rapper had finished “a significant amount of material” for his upcoming album.
The rapper’s second album, entitled ?, was released in March through another company.
XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, died after being fatally shot during an apparent robbery outside a motor sports showroom in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The rapper’s weekly streams have quadrupled since his death, pushing his two albums back into the top 5. His latest single Sad! has posthumously gone to #1.
The music video for the track, which eerily shows him fighting with his own corpse, was released the day of his funeral and has been viewed more than 60 million times on YouTube.
A 22-year-old Florida man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with XXXTentacion’s death. Authorities are still seeking additional suspects.
