In today’s culture of canceling celebrities at the drop of a hat for tweeting an insensitive joke years ago or saying something offensive in an interview, it may feel like one is constantly walking on eggshells trying to be careful not to taint one’s image or celebrity status at any given moment. Once the cancel train comes around, then comes the debate about whether or not fans should still support any given artist or simply abandon the artist altogether — despite the artists’ willingness to change and move forward from their mistakes.
Obviously every situation and person being put on trial are unique and depend on the intricate details and context, as well as the extent of the artist’s wrongdoings, but finding that fine line between separating the art from the artist is always tricky.
One artist in particular that has done some unfortunate things in his past, in turn causing polarizing support for his music, is the late XXXTentacion. Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, better known as XXXTentacion, would have been 23 years old on Jan. 23 this year.
X’s unfortunate passing came when he was shot and killed sitting in his car after leaving Riva Motorsports in Florida on June 18, 2018. Upon the news, fans of his were completely devastated and in shock hearing that the then 20-year-old rapper’s life was cut short, while on the other side of the spectrum many people celebrated his death.
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Despite only living two decades, XXXTentacion garnered quite a bit of controversy due to his problematic and troubling past alongside his music career. It feels a bit like punching down due to the fact that X is no longer with us, but some of his charges included the stabbing of Dylan Turner, robbery, and domestic violence. Although one can argue his young age being a factor, it is difficult to sweep any of these heavy allegations and charges under the rug.
Although X’s behavior was incredibly problematic, the reason so many young fans flocked to his music was because of the topics he discussed in his songs, such as depression, teenage angst, mental health, and alienation. X culminated a cult following by releasing music on Soundcloud while he was still in juvenile detention center. He channeled the auto-crooning, emo trap style of rap extremely popular amongst younger audiences and did it very well. With his debut album 17 earning certified double platinum, it was apparent that X’s music was resonating with audiences despite his dark past.
After his death, two albums were released posthumously under the XXXTentacion name, Skins released in late 2018, and Bad Vibes Forever in 2019. Over his brief career in music, he collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Ski Mask the Slump God, Noah Cyrus, and even Kanye West. Even among other artists in the music industry, X was someone people were eager to work with someday. To this day, fans still return to X’s music and celebrate the legacy that he left behind, as evident with music listeners pushing his song “Sad!” past the one billion views mark on YouTube.
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It is undoubtedly difficult to set in stone rules on whether or not XXXTentacion is an artist whose legacy should be celebrated after his passing, or should he be looked at with a healthy bit of skepticism. If X were still around, there would most likely be a divide amongst those who support his musical endeavors. However, one can only hope that he would be seeking the help and positive reinforcement in his life to do better if he was alive today.
In retrospect, no artist is perfect. That is why audiences flock to these artists because they use their music to highlight the insecurities and personal flaws every individual goes through in a way that is relatable and empathetic.
Art is subjective and holds only so much meaning as the beholder gives it. So, we can look at an artist like XXXTentacion and understand that his musical legacy was as impactful as it was because of how audiences connected to his message. Whether or not his troubling past hinders future crate diggers to revitalize his music, X was an artist gone too soon and had so much potential.
