XXXTentacion had many recognizable tattoos. The late rapper had the number "17" on his forehead as well as some prominent ink on his nose. One of his most noticeable markings was the tree etched onto his forehead. People have called X's legacy into question for years, dating back to before his death. In the months leading to his murder, the Florida-based artist was trying to change for the better, establishing foundations to help women affected by domestic violence and helping out at homeless shelters. Inked Magazine shared a video of several tattoo artists describing requests that they've flat-out turned down and one woman explained that she wouldn't ink XXXTentacion's famous tree tattoo onto one of his fans after learning of the singer's "values." In response to the clip, a fan made his own remarks on YouTube, calling out the artist.
It is within a tattoo artist's rights to refuse to do any tattoo. At the end of the day, their work will always be associated with them so if an artist was against what XXXTentacion believed in, she's absolutely allowed to refuse the tattoo. 20-year-old YouTuber, Cam Haller, spoke about the artist's choice though, referring to her as "clueless."
In the original clip, X is never referred to by name but it's very clear that she is speaking about his forehead tattoo. Haller is not the man that wanted the tattoo but you can tell that he passionately supports the late rapper from the way he speaks about the situation. He tries to bring reason to the table, offering his own perspective. "X was the definition of a person that was all about love. Just because he has allegations and he was arrested for certain things that were never proven and he was never found guilty, apparently his values are associated with a tree that's tattooed on his forehead."
XXXTentacion had explained in the past that he got the tattoo as a spiritual reminder to himself to have no "burdens or attachment" and to continue to grow.
