Should we boycott XXXTentacion’s music because he is a shitty person?

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.

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.

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.