Stop Rewarding Abusive Artists

Supporting music artists who are known sexual / domestic abusers promotes rape culture. By denouncing them and choosing to not listen to their music, we effectively can strip the power away from the abusers and empower victims instead. We must stop being complicit with abuse if we want to create a safer, more accepting environment for everyone.

Rob Hall

In light of the extensive amount of allegations of assault and abuse against celebrities, it’s time to talk about ceasing to support of music artists who are known abusers. Famed recording artists such as Kodak Black, XXXTentacion, Tekashi69, Chris Brown, Trey Songz, and many others have had multiple allegations of sexual assault and domestic abuse against them (and some have been convicted). However, despite their malicious tendencies being known, these artists careers continue to be successful. XXXtentacion’s recent album hit the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 charts, Chris Brown and Tekashi69 (who both were found guilty on charges of domestic abuse and sexual assault, respectively) both have multiple songs in the Hip-Hop/R&B Top 40, and Trey Songz just finished a nationwide tour. We as a society have become complicit with abuse to the point that those that cause anguish upon the innocent are allowed to continue to be successful. We need to counteract this. By banding together to stop supporting abusers and denounce their actions, we will empower victims, encourage more survivors to come forward, counteract a pervasive rape culture, and disallow the success of the malicious.

It’s not that difficult to stop supporting abusive artists. In 2018, the main means for large music artists to profit is through streaming and shows. Every time you listen to a song or attend a show, you’re putting money into their pocket. Every time you listen to the music or attend the show of an abuser, you’re putting money in their pocket. We live in the internet age, and it is easier to access music than it’s ever been before. Spotify, Soundcloud, and Apple Music all hold the music of thousands of recording artists across the world. Because of this huge amount of music and ease of access, substitutes can be found for almost any recording artist that you like. While it may not be the exact same, it is worth it to avoid listening to problematic artists; fans supporting their art is what supports their lifestyle. Do we really want to let malicious sexual and domestic abusers continue to be rich and successful?

Not only does supporting problematic abusers allow them to continue to be successful, it plays into rape culture. Rape culture is defined as “a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality.” This includes victim-blaming, misogynistic power structures, and downplaying the amount of harm that abuse does. All three of these things are promoted when we continue to support abusive music artists. Oftentimes, celebrities are able to walk free after committing assaults because they are in positions of power and influence. They defame the victims by saying they just want money, hire expensive lawyers, and use their large followings to attack the victims. Because of this, along with how difficult it is to prove abuse and sexual assault in the court of law, it is extremely difficult for victims to come forward. When we support abusers and allow them to continue to be famed and powerful, we further sustain a culture that disempowers survivors. By denouncing abusers, avoiding their music, and ceasing to attend their shows, we effectively take power away from them and redistribute it to the victims of these crimes. This creates a culture of safety and responsibility, which is better for everyone.

Many people argue that it is simply too difficult to avoid the music of abusive artists, and that their individual doesn’t actually do anything. Furthermore, some argue that they don’t know the specifics of the allegations against artists, and thus, cannot yet stop supporting them. These stances are irresponsible and lazy. If everyone has the mindset that they as an individual cannot make a difference, then society as a whole will stay complacent. If we work together and decide who to support as a culture, we can effectively strip power away from those who harm others. With regards to being unknowing of the specifics of allegations, we are in the age of the internet, and almost any information is accessible in seconds. Read the cases. Make your own judgements. But, do not argue that your ignorance isn’t by choice. With information so easily accessible, staying blissfully ignorant is a decision - an arrogant and harmful one. If you think it’s difficult to stop listening to a famous artist, imagine how difficult it must be to bring allegations forward against one.

In lieu of the #MeToo movement, we must ban together to actively counteract sexual assault, domestic abuse, and rape culture as a whole. We can do this by ceasing to support artists who are known abusers, and denouncing them to others. It is just as harmful to be complicit with within a culture of abuse as it is to participate in it. If we collectively decide to take the morality of an artist in consideration when deciding whether or not to support them, we will effectively be able to create a safer, healthier environment for everyone.