I always knew that the entertainment world was probably full of weirdos, and to be honest that didn’t surprise me because, as an artist, I find myself pretty weird as well, and I can tell that a lot of artists are very unique people who like to make their own rules. I’ve previously written about how the word “weird” is really just another word for unique. Now, I am in no way defending any of these fucked up people who we are now finding out have engaged in monstrous acts against other people, even children. All I’m saying is that something unique is always weird, and most of the time that’s completely fine. How unique we all are is part of what makes life beautiful and worth living. However, just because there are a lot of good types of weird, doesn’t mean we have to ignore the fact that weirdness can also manifest in some very dark ways. All of this to say that it doesn’t surprise me in the least that the entertainment world, whether it’s music or acting or whatever, is full of strange people, in both the good and bad sense. The thing that is baffling to me though is that, even though I know I’ve always been aware of that fact, I’ve always sort of brushed it aside because acknowledging it would probably interfere with me enjoying some of my favorite music or movies. It was interesting to see all the debates that started to happen when, for example, Kanye started going on antisemitic Twitter rants. People were now faced with a choice. Would they continue listening to someone whose views they find reprehensible? The answer is yes. It seemed like most people, after giving it some thought, were completely fine with continuing to listen to Kanye, because after all, we have to “separate the art from the artist.” I admit that, having grown up looking up to Kanye as an inspiration both as a producer and a rapper, it was hard for me to completely forget about his music. I decided not to actively play his songs, but not to skip them either, if they came up on shuffle or something like that. Now, with this newest situation regarding Diddy and all the fucked-up shit he’s been doing, this question of art and artist is once again on my mind, and it’s a lot more intense. To be honest, it doesn’t bother me much because Diddy is nowhere near Kanye’s level as an artist, but even if he were, this is a situation in which I would no longer listen to any of his songs at all or watch or listen to anything that involves him. The main thing I’m pissed about is that the one Diddy song which I liked, “I’ll Be Missing You” is completely ruined for me, especially since I’m literally never listening to it again. Thinking about the lyrics of that song, it seems so strange to me. Was everything a lie? Did he even care about Biggie? How could this person write a heartfelt song like that, and also committing the kinds of crimes he’s being accused of committing? I mean, Hitler was a great painter, so again, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. The main reason why I wanted to write about this is because, over the years I was already losing my interest in listening to rap, and with this newest situation I think my decision is further solidified. Who knows who in hip-hop or in entertainment is involved in this whole thing, and anybody who was involved, or who knew and remained silent, is just as bad as Diddy. These are kids we’re talking about. There’s just no way in my mind to understand what could be going through these people’s minds. Everyone’s talking about Jay-Z now, and since I like his old work, I’ve never thought he would be someone who would do these kinds of things. Then again, maybe if you’re proud of having supposedly made millions off crack then you’re probably not the most moral person. It seems so obvious when I think of it like that, but it’s just funny how unwilling we all are to see it until something big happens. It’s just so sad how much money and power can corrupt someone, and also how far some people are willing to go to gain fame and stardom. I hope everyone out there who was victimized gets the justice they deserve, and as far as separating art from artist, I think I finally have a clearer opinion on it. As for myself, I’m personally never listening to that one Diddy song again, and probably not much of any of Biggie’s “Ready to Die” either, especially “Suicidal Thoughts.” It’s a classic but there’s no way I’m ever jamming to some pedophile’s music or voice. Fuck that shit! Who knows if he’ll end up dead one of these days, but I bet if he doesn’t, and more info starts coming out, it’ll probably be difficult for me to listen to a whole lot of other musicians.’ work. At least most of the best ones are already dead, so I know they’re clear.
Thanks for reading.
rebel eye 