Separating the music from the person

[bu.]

Can you do it and is it an important thing to do?

There are some artists out there who are complete twats but their music slays or did slay at some point (artistically, not commercially). How easy do you find it separating the music from the person singing it? If there's an artist that you cannot stand due to their personality or whatever, how does it affect how you perceive their music?

For some people it's easy for me to ignore there rants and stupidity.  Kanye and Justin Bieber are great examples of this where their own personal life and interviews are exasperating but the music is actually good. But then you have Chris Brown who might make a decent song here and there but I personally don't know because his personality makes me want to switch off. 

Brandy is actually a recent example for me. Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE Brandy's music. However ever since I followed her on Snapchat I realised that she's actually a very sad and annoying woman. Now I listen to her and I'm reminded of how I need to unfollow her. I think separating the music from the person is something I need to work on. 

I hope this thread makes sense.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Dammn Bu

[DasSad]

I cant separate the two.  I like Rihanna's music but I cant really go hard for her based on the way she has treated fans in the past.  Example that girl who wore a prom dress that was similar to hers and Rihanna posted a pick on IG shaming her.  I cant get into Nicki because of how she was with Mariah on idol.  I stopped listening and supporting Kanye when he started ranting about fashion and being compared to Mandela.  Prince is probably the only artists I can listen to and support and at the same time dislike him for being an ass at times.  For me these people and their music are a direct reflection of them so I perceive their music to be bad just like their behavior. 

[Aquaria]

The best example for me would be Azealia. And yes I've reluctantly been able to separate her from her music. 

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

My best example is MJ.. Personally he was so fucked up in more than one way but musically he was decent... Dated and one-dimensional but decent. 

I don't follow many celebrities on social media bc what they say can ruin my outlook on their music. 

Another example is B.o.B. who has a great sophomore album but then he tweeted that the earth is flat and now I cannot take him serious musically and have put his music on the back burner

 

Edited May 23, 2016 by Game

[jarrylf]

It's a real personal thing I think, it REALLY does depend on the person and the circumstances and how much THEY personally push the personal tick in our faces. It's something I do best when whatever you do wrong, or stupid, or is heavily implied or rumored that you did, isn't overshadowing the music you put out and the quality of hard work and time you put into what you're doing.

[Aquaria]

It's a real personal thing I think, it REALLY does depend on the person and the circumstances and how much THEY personally push the personal tick in our faces. It's something I do best when whatever you do wrong, or stupid, or is heavily implied or rumored that you did, isn't overshadowing the music you put out and the quality of hard work and time you put into what you're doing.

So what you're saying is that it's personal.  

[jarrylf]

So what you're saying is that it's personal.  

[janetDAYZ]

I can seperate the two easily. For years , I've done it with Mariah. I like her music but cannot STAND her over the top diva posh ass persona. But then she has this childish ,lil girly side of her with the lollipops and butterfly shit. She juss so gotdamn annoying. So I listen to her music but skip her interviews , cus i dnt wanna see the bitch 

[hotboy06]

This is a good topic.

I concur with Roc about Azealia Banks.

[RedSimba]

I do it all the time. I feel that giving props to good music is not condoning bad behavior. For example I listen to Kanye and Madonna, but I still side-eye their antics lol.

And sometimes it's not necessarily the artists, but also their overzealous fans - same rule applies here too lol.

[BlackCat1989]

I can seperate the two easily. For years , I've done it with Mariah. I like her music but cannot STAND her over the top diva posh ass persona. But then she has this childish ,lil girly side of her with the lollipops and butterfly shit. She juss so gotdamn annoying. So I listen to her music but skip her interviews , cus i dnt wanna see the bitch 

Damn!!! I felt like you had read my mind! I like Mariah's music...but I can't stand her ass as a person. For a long time I thought she was conceited and stuck up, but now I see a fragile and insecure person. Her upcoming marriage to that Billionaire will not end well. I see people comparing Janet 's and her situation concerning their husbands all the time. But the big difference is Janet and Wissam got to know each other before they got married. Mariah and her man had only known each other for less than a year before they got engaged.

[janetDAYZ]

My best example is MJ.. Personally he was so fucked up in more than one way but musically he was decent... Dated and one-dimensional but decent. 

I don't follow many celebrities on social media bc what they say can ruin my outlook on their music. 

Another example is B.o.B. who has a great sophomore album but then he tweeted that the earth is flat and now I cannot take him serious musically and have put his music on the back burner

 

Norman i swear u be so all over the place and inconsistent unlike any other. Its like your opinions and views change according to what day it is and what the argument is. MJ's music is decent now but juss a couple of weeks ago u said you LOVED his music back in the day like everyone else. So u loved DECENT music?   plzzzzz Lord will u juss ..... 

[Bailey]

well we have to realize these artists are entertainers, they put on a show, so to some degree its not real, and behind the scenes they can be a lot of things, some not so pleasant, esp when you add fame, fortune and popularity to the mix you're talking about people who are told how great they are all the time some probably believe their shit dont stink.

So yea, I can separate the two, know when to call them out on they shit.

[Bailey]

I can seperate the two easily. For years , I've done it with Mariah. I like her music but cannot STAND her over the top diva posh ass persona. But then she has this childish ,lil girly side of her with the lollipops and butterfly shit. She juss so gotdamn annoying. So I listen to her music but skip her interviews , cus i dnt wanna see the bitch 

   I've learned to like watching Mariah interviews because for me its like going to the zoo

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

MJ's music is decent now but juss a couple of weeks ago u said you LOVED his music back in the day like everyone else. So u loved DECENT music?   

Back in the day I loved girls, Santa, and Jesus, cartoons, candy, MJ too but then I grew up. Children do that all the time. That's the point of growing and discovering 

"Back in the day" for me was when I was 2-8 years old (1990-1996) Therefore, you cannot say I'm inconsistent bc even I didn't know who I was at those ages. How old were you between 1990-1996? A teen? 

To answer your question: yes I loved decent music that I was force-fed as a child growing up in the 90s

Edited May 28, 2016 by Game

[Bailey]

Can you do it and is it an important thing to do?

you get a plus point for raising a great debate I also would like to add another aspect I have seen way too often are artists that understand show, but dont know shit about business, and that point can't be made enough. Knowing someone like Toni Braxton, who has talent and beauty and not a single brain cell devoted to managing money, to me thats a big let down, I mean how many artists have we known over the years got themselves into shitty situations that were completely avoidable but didnt avoid them because they couldnt do anything but the show part of show business?

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

you get a plus point for raising a great debate I also would like to add another aspect I have seen way too often are artists that understand show, but dont know shit about business, and that point can't be made enough. Knowing someone like Toni Braxton, who has talent and beauty and not a single brain cell devoted to managing money, to me thats a big let down, I mean how many artists have we known over the years got themselves into shitty situations that were completely avoidable but didnt avoid them because they couldnt do anything but the show part of show business?

Is that only referring to their personal finances or their shitty decisions? 

[Bailey]

Is that only referring to their personal finances or their shitty decisions? 

both ...since they all come from those artists

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

both ...since they all come from those artists

I don't care about the respective artist's finances personally. I rather them pick up a pen than a calculator

[Utopia]

Sometimes i can and sometimes i dont.

Rihanna for ex. her personality on IG and Twitter made me pay more attention to her work and i went from a claimed hater to someone who actually really really likes her music.

Same thing with Tamar, I HATE her personality- For me to enjoy her amazing work i kinda had to separate and ignore her as a person and only pay attention to her music.

I think that at this point due to social media, the artists fanbase plays a bigger role then their personality. I've been a Madinossaur Rex fan since forever but i can't associate her with her fans. I kinda turn myself into a hater whenever i read the archaeologists' forum.

[Dal]

My best example is MJ.. Personally he was so fucked up in more than one way but musically he was decent... Dated and one-dimensional but decent. 

 

You mean to explain why your opinion of one of history's most musically diverse artists was one-dimensional..? Interested in whatever reasoning you can come up with...

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

You mean to explain why your opinion of one of history's most musically diverse artists was one-dimensional..? Interested in whatever reasoning you can come up with...

 @ "history's most diverse artist". You MJ fans will try to put anything over on history's most overrated, dated, one-dimensional artist. He was talented, he was entertaining... But he was very overrated. 

MJ's genre was always pop, R&B, or a variation of the two. I'm not interested in hearing whatever reasoning you can come up with or discussing this further  My opinion = my opinion. You can't change it.. It won't change  

Edited June 11, 2016 by Game

[Dal]

 @ "history's most diverse artist". You MJ fans will try to put anything over on history's most overrated, dated, one-dimensional artist. He was talented, he was entertaining... But he was very overrated. 

MJ's genre was always pop, R&B, or a variation of the two. I'm not interested in hearing whatever reasoning you can come up with or discussing this further  My opinion = my opinion. You can't change it.. It won't change  

He was always pop and R&B..? Clearly you don't know as much about MJ as you think.. I mean, we're both talking about the same first black male artist to win a Grammy for "Rock Song of the Year" (which he wrote and composed almost entirely on his own)....right?

But sure keep believing your own thoughts.. ?Ignorance is bliss to you I suppose.. ??

[janetDAYZ]

MJ was one dimensional in some ways but he exceeded past ALOT of artists in other ways . 

[Rock & Roll Hall of Game]

He was always pop and R&B..? Clearly you don't know as much about MJ as you think.. I mean, we're both talking about the same first black male artist to win a Grammy for "Rock Song of the Year" (which he wrote and composed almost entirely on his own)....right?

But sure keep believing your own thoughts.. ?Ignorance is bliss to you I suppose.. ??

Beat it won best rock song under the Grammy's? I don't consider that a rock song but whatever but I guess the early 80s was a confusing time  

Edited June 12, 2016 by Game