Idolization, savior and martyr complexes are ever present in the music landscape. However, the conversation of legacies has been heightened with the recent attacks against deceased rapper XXXTentacion. Who is attacking the name of a deceased man? That would be Chicago rapper, Vic Mensa. However, despite some of the questionable actions of the late rapper, Vic Mensa is receiving a lot of push-back not just from the XXXTentacion fan base, but from the music industry as well.

The controversy started when BET leaked part of their annual cypher where hip hop artists rap together. When it was Vic Mensa’s turn to rap, he stated, “Only time you bear arms is in a wife beater, loser.. Your favorite rapper’s a domestic abuser.”  He went on to mention the rapper by his moniker ( XXX ) before the cypher ended. As soon as the news hit social media, Vic Mensa was met with heavy backlash over the verse. Many felt as though Mensa was disrespectful to the memory of the deceased rapper who could not defend his name. Others took issue with the fact that he had performed the diss in the presences of XXXTentacion’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, as he was posthumously receiving the award for Best New Artist. However, one of the biggest issues surrounding Vic Mensa’s attack was the blatant hypocrisy of his redirect. On June 6, 2016 during an interview with the Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, Vic Mensa admitted to a physical altercation with his girlfriend while he was heavily intoxicated. This hypocrisy was noticeably pointed out by Breakfast Club member, Charlamagne Tha God, on his “Donkey of the Day” segment. At the same time there are others who were openly critical of the cypher verse, including Denzel Curry, Trippie Redd, and several of X’s close friends.

So what are your opinions on this heavily debated topic? Was Vic Mensa right in calling out XXXTentacion after his death, or did he deserve the scrutiny and hatred coming his way as result of his hypocritical comments?