Some of you may have heard about the recent domestic abuse allegations against Florida rapper and 2017 XXL freshman XXXTentacion. XXXTenetacion is set to go to court for these allegations on December 11th.
A 142 page transcript from the victim was obtained by Pitchfork, and a summary is available here (Please be aware that this article contains gruesome details and may be found disturbing). However, despite these allegations, XXXTentacion has become very popular, and if these reports are true, is this okay?
XXXTentacion is not the first rapper to bring up this question–another very publicized person who brings up the same question is Chris Brown, so this debate is nothing new.
Some people argue that morality should not be dictated or found in music, and that if you want moral guidance you should read philosophy, or just need to pick different role models. Some say that music is about entertainment, and if you are entertained, then you should listen to it. However, others would say, that by listening to the music you are glorifying the artist and giving a stage and respect for the actions they have committed. Additionally, with so many artists out there and available, why listen to those who do things that make you question if you should be listening to them? Others say that the art is not connected to the person at all and should be judged independently. For more thoughts on this topic, check out this great video from the internet’s busiest music nerd.