The Subliminal Violence of Clout Culture: XXXTentacion's Influence

(Originally published on sommetdame.com on July 20, 2018)

Now more than ever, people are faced with opportunities to create their image. Artists in particular have found the internet to be the most impactful way of developing and pushing their brand to get more followers. This intent, which in recent years had been called "swag", as evolved into what is today "clout."

Merriam-Webster recognizes "clout" as a political term referring to pull or influence. However, the hip-hop community has taken this term and repurposed it as a word used exclusively to describe an individual's stature in regard to their power through social media fame, wealth, and style. The word is frequently associated with the SoundCloud rappers who use it and strive for it. SoundCloud has become a subculture in itself as a platform for unsigned rappers to release projects in the hope of gaining notoriety. The scene has been a means for the discovery of countless artists who have gone on to sign to labels and achieve prosperous musical careers (Russ, Lil Uzi Vert, Trippie Red, to name a few), yet its accessibility has also gained a laughable reputation for featuring mumble rappers with "lil" in their names. The cultural influence of SoundCloud rappers trying to flaunt their clout is most evident in their usage of Instagram as a free and easy means of expanding their fandom.

Unfortunately, the rap scene is inexorably tied to violence, which has become a biproduct of clout culture. Fostering a bad reputation in order to demonstrate street credibility as a rapper has led to a sort of pride among rappers. In an extremely popular interview with 105.1 The Breakfast Club, Tekashi 6ix9ine, a notorious SoundCloud rapper, used the opportunity to essentially incite backlash as he boasted that he is the best rapper from New York City. He also expressed affiliation with rival gangs, the Bloods and Crips. He previously feuded separately with The Game and Chief Keef, the latter of whom was shot at Times Square in early June. Even though Tekashi was in Los Angeles at the time of the shooting, many suspected that he had one of his associates arrange the attempt. Others speculated that Chief Keef and Tekashi collaborated as a publicity stunt.

Jahseh Onfrony, a SoundCloud rapper known by the name XXXTentacion, also engaged in public feuds with fellow artists. Onfroy, who first began creating music after spending time in a juvenile correctional facility, gained acclaim for his track "Look At Me", X's first time on the Billboard Hot 100. This song also led to Onfroy's beef with Drake after the rapper was accused of biting X's flow on "KMT". X posted on Instagram "If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi (Drake) I'm snitching rn (right now)." The post was later deleted, and the rapper claimed his account had been hacked.

His tracks, laced with dark lyrics, tend to deal with depression and suicidal ideologies that resonated with younger fans and helped him to gain a loyal following. On June 18, 2018, Onfroy was shot once in the neck while shopping for a motorcycle at RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Police determined that he had been followed after withdrawing money from a bank.

News of his death on June 18, 2018 was quickly met with outrage and sadness that developed into conspiracy theories as fans speculated that X was only faking his death to create a media frenzy. Onfroy was only twenty years old, and was facing accusations of domestic violence against his pregnant girlfriend.

His death was eerily preluded by an undated Instagram Live video in which XXXTentacion addressed both his fans and critics, saying, ""If I'm gonna die, or ever be a sacrifice, I wanna make sure that my life made at least five million kids happy, or they found some sort of answers or resolve in my life, regardless of the negative around my name, regardless of the bad things people say about me."

On Thursday, July 19, four men were indicted and charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and armed robbery. Two suspects are in police custody while two men are still at large. However, The Breakfast Club reported that immediately following the news of Onfroy's death, one Twitter user claimed to have been the one who shot X. The Brilliant Idiots podcast further detailed that this user quickly deleted his Twitter, while his Instagram account gained 400,000 followers. This is a testament to the disturbing fascination with violence and fame as a joint means of bolstering reputation and prominence in a time when social media exists at the forefront of our society.

The harsh reality of the true impact of violence resonated with fans and Onfroy's contemporaries, including the volatile Tekashi 6ix9ine, who said after X's death, "Sometimes I feel like I do too much trolling...Tomorrow's not promised, you can be here today and gone tomorrow." He further stated, "There's probably like a hundred thousand people out there tryin' to kill me."

XXXTentacion's song "Sad!" Broke the single-day streaming record with 10.4 million streams the day after his death. Nine days later, the music video was released. The haunting video shows X attending his own funeral and fighting with his old self. The posthumous tribute to X is a melancholy reflection on his mercurial life and his own struggles with depression. The video serves as a humbling reminder to fans that despite the clout XXXTentacion has gained by death, he has left behind an unsettled legacy of violence.

The millennial mentality is driven by an insatiable desire for relevancy, and the people who are the most relevant are not always the most virtuous. There is a division between celebrities who aim to uphold their own clean image, and those who prefer to exploit their fame and gain notoriety by any means necessary. XXXTentacion was an extremely troubled young man whose death was largely circumstantial, but his history of violence should not be forgotten simply because of his tragic end.