The X Challenge Was an Insensitive Dance Trend That Went Viral on TikTok in 2018

While many of the trends that go viral on TikTok are harmless, those that want to ban the app have called out a number of trends that were more obviously bad. Dances have tended to be among the more harmless trends on the platform, but one dance that got popular around 2018 is being called out for just how offensive it was.

That dance, which was also known as the X Challenge, was connected to the rapper XXXTentacion's death, and it's being criticized pretty roundly on the platform today. If you weren't around for the trend when it first went popular, or if you just want to learn more about it, we've got you covered. Here's everything you need to know about the X Challenge on TikTok.

XXXTentacion was a rapper who gained prominence online thanks to his single "Look At Me," which was first released in 2017. Just a year later, though, he was murdered in Florida. The news of his death naturally saddened those who had come to love his music, but it also led to a pretty horrific trend on TikTok.

The trend, which was known as the X Challenge, involved TikTok users doing dance moves that were meant to simulate the position XXXTentatcion's body was in after his death.

While it may have seemed funny or harmless at the time, many are now horrified to look back on the trend and see exactly how insensitive it was.

The hypocrisy has also bothered some people, who noted that those who once participated in the trend now lip sync along to XXXTentacion's lyrics in other videos that they post.

"Been an X fan since 2018 .. I couldn't STAND the X challenge or when people mocked Juicewrlds seizure," one person wrote in a comment on TikTok.

"Ppl that did the X challenge disgust me," another person added.

Understandably, the challenge elicited some strong reactions from people who felt that the rapper deserved much more respect than he was getting.

Although the X Challenge may have been horrific to some as it was happening, the trend has since largely died out on TikTok. What has remained, though, is the enduring power of XXXTentacion's music, which remains quite popular even six years after his death.

Although X was only a mainstream artist for a short period, his songs have continued to find new listeners, some of whom never listened to him while he was alive.

The X Challenge was undoubtedly a disrespectful way to honor the rapper, regardless of what he did while he was alive. Thankfully, though, most people seem to understand that, and are now condemning the challenge. When the trend has been totally forgotten, though, we can hope that X's music will endure, and that it will continue to find new listeners even decades from now. Ultimately, that will be his most enduring legacy.