I wonder who Austin Dixon is listening to today.
Fans should demand positive behaviors from artists for the sake of their well-being. There should be a line between art and reality when reality copies art.
Entertainers play characters of themselves to keep the attention of their fans.
1991 heard the release of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The song made the Billboard Top 100 at No. 6.
In the song, Kurt Cobain said, “…and I forget just why I taste, oh yeah I guess it makes me smile, I found it hard, it's hard to find, oh well, whatever, never mind.”
As cryptic as these lyrics are, perhaps devoted fans missed that Cobain found smiles hard to come by. In 1994, Cobain lost his battle with depression.
Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake would later sample Nirvana’s hit in the song,“Holy Grail.”
We lose ourselves in our entertainment, especially music. We can rock out oblivious to musicians’ obvious cries for help.
It’s hard to imagine what a fan could do to acknowledge these cries for help.
Aubrey Lister listening to his favorite rainy day jams
Marcus Jaron, an underground Tamper rapper said, “It may feel personal, but the relationship and communication between fan and artist when you think about it is very one-sided.”
Artists such as Future, Lil Pump, and Lil Xan tout their tolerance for substance abuse and the clubs rejoice.
The rap community especially holds artists accountable for staying true to the persona they convey in their music. When rappers don’t escalate situations to violence like they rap in their songs, they are regarded to as fake and soft.
“Since they give us all these feelings, and a lot of advice through their music, why can’t we all ask them if they’re doing okay instead of asking for a picture?” Markeith Hampton, an amateur filmmaker asks. “In the eyes of humanity again celebrities are toys.”
Some entertainers put a lot of effort into their art. As the landscape of the entertainment industry evolves, the demand increases for artists who are willing to sacrifice their creative liberties to appease the masses.
These two classes of artists both are pressured by public opinion. As opposed to most careers, in the entertainment industry, the product being sold is the person selling it.
“I'm so happy because today, I've found my friends, they're in my head, I'm so ugly, but that's okay, cause so are you,” said Cobain in, “Lithium.”
As consumers, we should remember that these products have feelings. When we express what of these products we enjoy and don’t enjoy, we cause the product to reshape itself to suit the market demand. We push these products, these people to self-destruction when we demand them to be entertainment. Some artists just want to create our entertainment.