A rapper has been condemned over his latest music video which shows him lynching a young white boy.
XXXTentacion’s video for Look at Me shows him fitting a noose around the young blond-haired child’s neck and raising him off the ground on a stage.
The child’s feet are seen twitching – a common phenomenon during hanging – before he goes limp.
XXXTentacion’s controversial video for Look at Me started out with him rapping in a classroom
The scene then flashed to XXXTentacion (center) being hung from a tree along with two other actors
A few seconds later, viewers see the rapper (center) holding the hands of two young boys, one white and one black
Elsewhere in the video, XXXTentacion, 19, appears hanging himself along with two other black men.
The video also includes reenactments of the historic, racially-charged killings of Emmett Till and Philando Castile.
The recent death of Heather Hyer, an anti-protester who was killed after being run over at an alt-right march in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month, was also depicted.
The rapper claims the video decries racial violence across the board and says the lynching scene is a part of that.
He insists he is trying to demonstrate what the lasting effects will be on the younger generation if the same violence continues.
But critics slammed him for using a child to make his point with such ‘disturbing’ imagery.
The video also includes a reenactment of the historic, racially-charged killing of Emmett Till
That reenactment was followed by the scene of Philando Castile’s death in Minnesota last year
The video then flashed to Rodney King’s brutal beating in Los Angeles in 1991
The recent death of Heather Hyer, an anti-protester who was killed after being run over at an alt-right march in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month, was also depicted
‘I’m actually disturbed at the video of XXXTentacion featuring a young boy being hanged. This is beyond a joke,’ said one person.
‘Don’t make excuses for this sickness, simulated violence towards children is not cool or progressive. Not even to make a point. Its dangerous,’ they said.
‘I have a huge problem with xxxtentacion and his new video. It doesn’t have anything to do with equality what so ever,’ another said.
One person accused the rapper of inciting a ‘race war’.
‘If the RACIST POS xxxtentacion gets his race war, who do you think will be left standing?’ one person said.
At the end of the video, the musician delivers a long message on racial violence and calls for it to come to an end for the sake of younger generations.
‘Equity and equality. The end result we all, the ones that don’t want to live in misery, desire.
The rapper claims the video decries racial violence across the board and says the lynching scene is a part of that. The video then shows XXXTentacion showing a noose to the two children
He insists he is trying to demonstrate what the lasting effects will be on the younger generation if the same violence continues. At one point, he points to the black child and tells him something before wrapping the noose around the white child’s neck
XXXTentacion then walked away as the two children stood motionless looking at one another
XXXTentacion is seen raising him off the ground from the stage (left). The child’s feet are seen twitching – a common phenomenon during hanging – before he goes limp
‘The youth is never inspired to make a stand to make a difference so I will speak for them.
‘Are you willing to risk your child’s future due to your own bigotry? The choice is yours but your child will not stand for the hate.
‘This generation will be loved, nurtured, heard and understood,’ he said.
Some viewers appreciated the video and sided with him.
‘If you can’t comprehend what xxxtentacion meant with the look at me video maybe you’re just too stupid,’ said one.
‘He was simply trying to show how the next generation would be affected if race wars went on,’ another said.
But critics slammed him for using a child to make his point with such ‘disturbing’ imagery
XXXTentacion’s real name is Jahseh Onfrey. And this week he responded to domestic violence allegations in a series of profane-laced videos.
He was charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness-tampering.
In the clips, the rapper denied the charges and accused critics of plotting against his success, and threatened to ‘f**k ya’ll little sisters in their throats’.
‘They wanna crucify me, I ain’t having it, I’m not gonna be your f**king messiah,’ the rapper wrote in follow-up posts. ‘Y’all n****s bored.’
It’s unclear what the relationship was between the woman and XXXTentacion.
Some viewers appreciated the video and sided with him. ‘If you can’t comprehend what xxxtentacion meant with the look at me video maybe you’re just too stupid,’ said one
XXXTentacion (left in May) recently responded to domestic violence allegations in a series of profane-laced videos. He was charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and witness-tampering