Jahseh
Dwayne Onfroy, known to his fans as XXXTentacion, is a nineteen-year-old rapper
based in Florida. He has been stirring up controversy since he first emerged
into the rap scene in 2014. He has assaulted fans, been knocked out whilst
performing onstage, and been pictured smiling as he choked out another man.
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| Onfroy's selfie with said knocked-out man. |
He
has recently garnered attention as the testimony for a crime in which Onfroy is
the defendant, was released by Pitchfork. He was charged with aggravated battery
of a pregnant woman, false imprisonment, and domestic battery by strangulation.
In terms of the case, he has pleaded not guilty, as well as defending himself
on social media.
The
testimony itself is a difficult read. It is a long list of alleged horrors that
all focus on Onfroy’s ex-girlfriend. In the testimony, it paints him as a
monster. An obsessive, controlling, and abusive monster.
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| Onfroy's mugshot in October 2016 |
This
is the testimony that has led to many of his fans deciding that they are done
with his music. Multitudes of users on the subreddit ‘/r/hiphopheads’ are
saying that people should boycott XXXTentacion’s music because of his abhorrent
behaviour. However, many would argue that just because an artist exhibits
objectionable attitudes and behaviour, that does not mean the art itself cannot
be enjoyed. It all boils down to the age-old question, can the artist be separated
from the art?
Personally,
I would say yes, as our society has managed to accomplish this feat multiple
times over the years. The most stand-out example of this is John Lennon. In The John
Lennon Encyclopedia, Bill Harry writes that Lennon was a jealous person who
grew possessive of his first wife, Cynthia Powell. Lennon’s behaviour also grew
to be violent and threatening. This behaviour is not too dissimilar to that of
XXXTentacion’s. Yet, John Lennon went onto form one of the most popular rock ‘n’
roll bands in the history of the world, and he is loved and remembered for it.
Yet Onfroy committed similar acts and is vilified for it.
 |
| A young John and Cynthia Lennon |
Many
would argue that whilst the two cases are very similar, there are some key
differences. For example, it is highly likely that the reason Lennon was not
vilified for his past of violence and possessiveness because it was not
widespread information. We live in a technological age now that anyone with access
to the internet can go to Pitchfork and read the list of accusations towards
Onfroy, whereas the information pertaining to Lennon’s abusive behaviour was
not easily accessible until this day and age.
So,
to surmise, I believe we should be able to separate the art from the artist.
Many do not subscribe to this ideal as they believe that enjoying the music of
a subjectively ‘bad’ person in-turn makes them a ‘bad’ person for supporting
that artist. I say who cares? If you enjoy someone’s music, listen to it. After
all, you never really know who someone is behind closed doors.
