Do Every Thing Wrong! by Jarett Kobek Summary

Do Every Thing Wrong!: XXXTentacion Against the World is a 176-page critical biography examining the brief life of rapper XXXTentacion through the lens of structural racism and systemic violence in America. Jarett Kobek explores how the musician's 20 years of life and 27,000 tweets reveal the intersection of intimate partner violence, media representation, and the ongoing assault on poor Black communities in the United States. Rather than simply condemning or defending XXXTentacion, the book contextualizes his actions within America's history of violence, from the crack epidemic to the war on drugs.

Jarett Kobek is a Turkish-American writer living in California known for his provocative cultural criticism and unconventional narratives. He gained international recognition for his novel I Hate the Internet, which became a bestseller in Serbia and was translated into eleven languages. Kobek's work often challenges mainstream narratives and explores themes of technology, society, structural violence, and hypocrisy. His other notable works include The Future Won't Be Long, Only Americans Burn in Hell, and the novella ATTA.

Do Every Thing Wrong! is essential reading for anyone interested in critical race theory, cultural criticism, and understanding how systemic violence perpetuates itself across generations. The book appeals to readers who want nuanced discussions about controversial figures rather than simplistic moral judgments, as well as those studying hip-hop culture, media representation, and structural inequality. This work is particularly valuable for scholars, social justice advocates, and readers willing to grapple with uncomfortable truths about intimate partner violence within broader societal contexts.

Do Every Thing Wrong! is worth reading for those seeking mature, complex analysis rather than easy answers about violence and accountability. Kobek delivers what reviewers describe as a "mature and deeply serious exploration of the hypocrisy of the world we live in," refusing to either dismiss XXXTentacion's violence or ignore the systemic factors that shaped his life. The book challenges readers to consider how American society creates cycles of violence while denying sympathy to those who perpetuate it. However, readers should be prepared for frank discussions of intimate partner violence and structural racism.

In Do Every Thing Wrong!, Jarett Kobek explicitly states that intimate partner violence is a moral wrong and thoroughly documents XXXTentacion's acts of punching, beating, and stabbing. However, Kobek argues this violence wasn't spontaneous but rather "the continuation and circulation of a violence that has been ongoing since America was founded." The book examines how XXXTentacion's outward violence mirrors the systemic violence inflicted on Black communities through policy, policing, and poverty. Kobek contextualizes without excusing, maintaining that understanding root causes is essential even as individual harm remains inexcusable.

Jarett Kobek traces XXXTentacion's violence back through multiple layers of state-sanctioned assault on poor Black Americans in Do Every Thing Wrong! The book examines the crack epidemic, war on drugs, underfunded education, absence of universal healthcare, gun prevalence, and "get rich or die trying" American dream mythology as interconnected systems that train people to suffer without lashing out. Kobek writes that America is a "country built by enslaved Black people on the mass graves of massacred indigenous peoples: it's bones with signs of violence on them all the way down." This framework shows how creative, talented, sensitive people end up destroying themselves and others.

The central thesis of Do Every Thing Wrong! is that American society systematically grinds down marginalized people while denying them sympathy when they inevitably break. Kobek argues that people are trained to suffer constantly but when they finally snap, "it must only occur in a direction that creates no sympathy and affords no change." The book challenges the hypocrisy of condemning individuals like XXXTentacion for intimate partner violence while ignoring that "violence did not start with them, and it won't end with them either." Without significant structural change, Kobek contends, we all lose repeatedly.

Do Every Thing Wrong! examines how XXXTentacion was weaponized as a poster boy for the "violent Black man" trope by mainstream media and liberal voices. Kobek explores how the musician was treated as someone whose history of violence completely negated his artistic success and cultural impact. The book critiques how media coverage focused exclusively on individual moral failings while systematically ignoring the structural conditions that produce such violence. This analysis reveals how selective outrage maintains existing power structures rather than addressing root causes of harm.

Do Every Thing Wrong! explicitly does not excuse XXXTentacion's violence but insists on contextualizing it within larger systems of oppression. Jarett Kobek makes clear that "no one should argue that intimate partner violence is anything other than a moral wrong," emphasizing that context "does not forgive or excuse or diminish the harm caused by an individual." The book's nuanced approach argues that understanding structural causes is separate from moral judgment—contextualization is important for preventing future violence even as it doesn't absolve individual responsibility. This distinction between explanation and justification forms the book's ethical foundation.

Unlike conventional celebrity biographies, Do Every Thing Wrong! is explicitly described as "sympathy for the devil" rather than hagiography or simple condemnation. Jarett Kobek's approach is far more nuanced than French-sounding "separation of art and artist" treatises, instead offering critical cultural analysis grounded in structural inequality. The book is only 176 pages but packs in analysis of 27,000 tweets and 20 years of life through the lens of American racism, violence, and hypocrisy. Kobek positions the biography as a political and social critique rather than entertainment industry gossip.

Do Every Thing Wrong! sparked controversy by refusing to simply condemn XXXTentacion while also refusing to defend him, instead demanding readers confront uncomfortable systemic truths. The book's subtitle "sympathy for the devil" signals Kobek's willingness to humanize someone many consider irredeemable due to documented intimate partner violence. By arguing that violence circulates through society rather than originating with individuals, the work challenges common assumptions about personal responsibility and societal accountability. This nuanced position frustrates those seeking either complete cancellation or complete exoneration of controversial figures.

The title Do Every Thing Wrong! responds to a line that appears late in the book and reflects how marginalized people are set up to fail within oppressive systems. The exclamation point emphasizes the imperative nature of a society that trains people to make impossible choices—suffer silently or lash out unforgivably. Kobek's ironic title suggests that within current American structures, there may be no "right" way for someone like XXXTentacion to exist or express trauma. The phrase captures the book's exploration of how systemic violence creates no-win scenarios for its victims.