Last updated on March 20, 2023
Adidas had finally done it. On Monday, Oct. 4 2022, the company officially terminated its partnership with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. After months of controversial statements via social media, the artist still believed Adidas “couldn’t drop him” no matter what he said, but after verbalizing these sentiments online, they did just that.
The whole situation saddened many of Ye’s fans, because although he had spouted questionable dialogue throughout his career, it had become increasingly worse in the past year. Many of his listeners wouldn’t support him anymore.
The phenomenon of fans feeling conflicted after their favorite artist has been exposed for their abuses is not a new one: examples include R. Kelly and Micheal Jackson’s alleged crimes against children, Chris Brown’s domestic violence against women, but also the reckless party and drug filled lifestyles of the rich and famous that have existed for decades.
These negative perspectives always beg the questions of whether it’s morally right to keep supporting these artists by listening to their music and sporting their merchandise, and whether listeners will be perceived negatively by their peers for associating with these celebrities. The answer lies in individual preference of whether we need to base our music taste on our morality.
The answer varies person-to-person, but the choice is similar to that of purchasing clothes from sustainable businesses, or from fast-fashion corporations. Many people who shop from unethical corporations are aware of said unethical practices, but simply cannot afford to consistently shop ethically-sourced products. Many of the people who preach that others should only shop sustainably are speaking from a generally more privileged standpoint.
Although the analogy isn’t exactly the same since music isn’t something people need to pay for the way they do for clothes, people who demand that entire fan bases cut ties with an artist are not taking into consideration these fans’ personal connections to the music. Often-times the individuals calling for “cancellation” of an artist were never fans of said artist’s music.
The vast majority of fans do not know the artists personally, and they have solely interacted with them through their music. Furthermore, if they have been listening to a discography for years and suddenly it comes out that the artist did something horrendous in their personal lives, it puts the fan in a tough position. Although some fans may be completely put off by the artist after their negative actions have been exposed, many listeners still feel a deep connection to the music.
For example, I have been a big Travis Scott fan ever since the release of his album Astroworld. Every November since the release, Scott performed at his own music festival –Astroworld music festival, often referred to as Astrofest– in his hometown of Houston, Texas. Astrofest 2021 was his first performance back after the COVID-19 pandemic. The large crowd at the concert fatally crushed eight people and injured hundreds more, due to lack of safety regulations by security and alleged negligence by Scott himself in regards to crowd control.
When this news came out I took it very personally. I had multiple people who knew me come up to me at school and ask whether I would continue to listen to his music, and ultimately I felt embarrassed. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but my guilty conscience knew that I wouldn’t stop listening to his music even after seeing the news, going through witness accounts of Astrofest attendees, and seeing statements made by the loved ones of those who lost their lives at the festival.
Although Scott’s intentions weren’t bad, the situation gives me a common ground with the fan bases of the aforementioned artists. If someone listens to a musician, it’s not a given that they share the same opinions as the artist or support their every action. However, there is a difference between listening to an artist and actively supporting them.
Yes some may argue that even listening to the music supports the celebrity’s career and lifestyle, but sporting their merchandise and attending concerts is more upfront. Generally, listeners should be aware that openly promoting artists may cause their peers to associate them with the artist.
It is a personal decision of course, but I have no interest in wearing any merchandise for any celebrity since the 2021 Astrofest catastrophe because I don’t want to give people a reason to make judgements on my character.
To sum it up, you do not need to base your music taste around your morality as a human being. However, it is important to be mindful that openly supporting artists involved in controversy may subject you to judgment by your peers. That being said, it is also important to keep an open mind when analyzing other peoples’ music tastes. Just because someone listens to Kanye West does not mean they unequivocally agree with his discriminatory statements; they might just enjoy his music.
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