https://www.instagram.com/p/BYKYzfpAVdM/
WARNING: The images in this post could be shocking and graphic.
A good portion of the hip-hop world paused Wednesday night at what appeared to be footage of enigmatic rapper XXXTentacion hanging himself — but he seems to be fine. After the disturbing video drew a groundswell of attention and speculation, XXX’s official instagram account posted a second video Wednesday night with a caption indicating that the incident wasn’t a publicity stunt, but what appears to be a clip from an upcoming music video. You can view the graphic video below, but note that it may be triggering.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYGt7vrg6pC/
XXX has an album called 17 dropping tomorrow, and it seems like he sought to draw attention with the graphic, captionless IG clip which was a brutally realistic depiction of hanging from a tree. One look at the cover for 17 shows a noose right in the middle of the artwork.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYKBcBGAwN4/
Artistic license is vital, but given how XXX presents himself as a voice for depressed, suicidal youth, it’d seem like he’d be more judicious about what he shows them — and how. In the hours between IG clips, none of his fans knew if he was alive or not. Though most could infer that the video being posted on Instagram meant that he, or someone with him, had to publish it, logic tends to go out of the window after such a jarring clip.
This morning he posted some of his own emotions to the reaction on Instagram stories:
Clearly, he doesn’t feel responsible for the reaction to his cryptic footage, which is strange. Many commenters in the IG post noted how suicidal imagery like mock-hanging trivializes the pain that people go through when they choose to end their life. Hopefully he will realize how badly he may have triggered some who watched the video and think things through more thoroughly before he decides to press share next time. Suicide is as delicate an issue as it gets.
