The other day, I saw people raving about Kanye West potentially releasing new music. I thought to myself, “People actually still listen to this guy after everything he’s said? Has everyone forgotten the reputation he’s built for himself?” That led me to think about how as of lately, our society has adopted the mindset of “separating art from the artist”. Basically, this means that you can still appreciate an artist’s work, but you recognize that their actions or behaviors are not exactly morally correct.
A relevant example of this would be prominent music artist and producer Kanye West, otherwise known as Ye. Within the past five years, West has made antisemitic remarks, praised Hitler, commented ignorantly upon slavery, etc. The list truly goes on. The internet went wild as they bashed Ye for his ignorant, discriminatory actions. However, Ye released a collaborative album in 2024, VULTURES 1. It was like everything he said was completely forgotten, as avid Ye fans went crazy over the album.
Essentially, normalizing separating the art from the artist is extremely problematic and should be stopped before the consequences become too great. We are giving bad people platforms who are the last people that should have one. Continuing to listen to and support artists who have shown their true, evil selves creates the idea that their behavior is acceptable. They can say whatever they want because they are famous, and nobody will care.
Moreover, the public is so easily influenced. At this point in time, celebrities, influencers, and stars are part of our daily lives. We go on social media and see these famous people more than our own families. If we continue to allow harmful words and actions to float around with no consequences for these people in the spotlight, people will start to follow in their footsteps. Persistent problems will continue to persist, and hate will begin to spread like bacteria. The last thing we need right now is the escalation of hate in our society.
Another prime example of “separating art from the artist” is Chris Brown. Brown performed at sold-out shows during his recent tour, Breezy Bowl XX. He’s even going on another tour with Usher, where over a million tickets have already been sold to fans. But in 2009, it seems we forgot that Chris Brown has charges of assault on singer Rihanna, his now ex-girlfriend. The world just now ignores his brutal assault, or they simply don’t care. It’s culture like this that furthers a harmful agenda that could eventually normalize violence or even domestic violence.
So, should we continue to separate art from the artist? The answer is no. Maybe they make good music, maybe they’ve “changed their ways”, but continuing to give these people a platform ultimately leads society to accept these unacceptable behaviors. It’s easy to ignore people’s actions, but it’s really important that we as the public, don’t. Celebrities are people just like us, and we have to hold them accountable to the same standards we would as the people in our own lives. They don’t get to have a pass because they’re famous, nor because they make good art.
