The 'Legacy' of XXXTentacion
XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, was shot and killed in an attempted robbery in Florida last June. His following was increasingly growing, with nearly 5.5 billion total streams and millions of Instagram followers. His mother appeared on an Instagram story last month, saying, “his message was essentially to heal” and that he was “spreading love and light to the world.” However, the 20-year-old artist was awaiting trial on battery charges, witness tampering and false imprisonment. His accuser, his ex-girlfriend claimed he threatened to kill her everyday, and he said in an interview that while in prison he beat up someone just for being gay. What was once a moral debate over his rise to stardom has now become a debate over his legacy. Does his fan-base and musical talent outweigh his domestic-abuse allegations and violent nature? I don't think so. One thing I will add is that before his death, he predicted that he would die young and pleaded with people to recognize he was changing and growing as a person. It was uncanny how close the two were, but I still do not know what to make of the sentiments he expressed. Either way, I don't think any amount of musical genius can make up for the violent things he did in his life.
Many people claim to separate the art from the artist. These instances can be difficult. As a music lover myself, I sometimes find myself listening to an artist that I either don't agree with on certain issues, and even artists that have been accused of sexual harassment. It is important to support artists who sincerely try to become better people, and learn from their mistakes. In the case of X, there is definitely a line that is crossed. Committing heinous crimes as well as being a homophobe should cause people to refrain from listening to his music but it doesn't. It is sad to me that people care more about below average music than the atrocities committed by the artist.
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