It feels impossible now, but there was a time when Kanye West‘s music was actually a highlight in my life, even speaking directly to certain milestones.
My friends and I played his 2007 album, “Graduation,” on repeat as we ourselves approached post-college life, wondering what was in store. A synchronicity existed between us — a group of millennial college kids — and the Grammy-winning superstar as we stared down the barrel of the the great recession of 2008. Songs like “Good Life” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” gave us hope as the sky fell.
Now, that “Kanye” is gone, replaced by a man spouting outlandish claims like “slavery was a choice,” denying the Holocaust, and outrightly embracing Nazism. I sometimes wonder if that person I liked ever really existed. My desire to listen to his music has vanished.
But this isn’t just about Kanye. Other artists, some with more felonious downfalls, have also exited my rotation over the years. I never again listened to Lostprophets’ “Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja” after the alt-rock band’s singer Ian Watkins was charged with multiple sex offenses and sentenced to 29 years in prison in 2012. The popular metal band As I Lay Dying fell off my workout playlist when lead singer Tim Lambesis was convicted in 2014 of trying to hire a hitman to kill his then-estranged wife.
As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis was convicted in 2014 of trying to hire a hitman to kill his then-estranged wife. (Photo by Frank Hoensch/Redferns)Redferns
Yes, I understand artists are inherently flawed people, like anyone else. That’s what makes their music so relatable. But does consuming art without interruption give credence to such disgusting actions? In these cases, it does for me — there’s plenty else I can listen to that doesn’t give me that sinking feeling.
Yet my perspective may now be antiquated, as pop culture has been tainted by our current political and social climate, where being unapologetic about past transgressions seems to be en vogue. Gone are any remnants of the well-intentioned “Me Too” reckoning less than a decade ago.
The result: Controversial or previously “canceled” musicians have re-entered the conversation, with some packing New Jersey venues in the coming weeks.
Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams, who will play a show in Red Bank in June, was accused of misconduct by multiple women. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Chris Cornell Estate)Getty Images for The Chris Corne
- Marilyn Manson, who has always been a magnet for controversy, will play a sold-out show at Wellmont Theater in Montclair Monday night. The singer-songwriter has been accused of various crimes by 16 different people over 25 years, including five sexual assault allegations. Manson released a statement in 2021 denying those claims.
- The divisive emo-rock Brand New sold out Newark’s Prudential Center in about 20 minutes last month, for a June concert. They’d been on hiatus since 2017, after lead singer Jesse Lacey was accused of sexual misconduct. Lacey released a public apology shortly after. Earlier this year, another alleged incident has come out against Lacey, accusing the singer of grooming.
- Singer-songwriter Ryan Adams, who will play a show in Red Bank in June, was accused of misconduct by multiple women (including ex-wife Mandy Moore and singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers) in 2019. He initially denied the claims, but then apologized for his conduct. Adams returned to touring in 2022.
At this point, the familiar “can you separate the art from the artist” discussion is beyond debate. Fans are willing to turn the page and walk the tightrope of loving the music while knowing the history of the people who made it.
It appears the pendulum has swung the other way — to some version of “cancel culture completely.”
Chris Brown plays MetLife Stadium this summer. He was previously found guilty of felony assault against Rihanna. (Photo by Kayla DeLaura/Getty Images)
The death of shame
Of course, much of this seismic shift relates to what is now tolerated in the White House — with too many examples to list — but there’s no denying the trickle down to New Jersey’s concert lineups. Take Chris Brown, who was found guilty of felony assault against Rihanna in 2009 and also had a restraining order granted against him by ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran. He’s playing back-to-back shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford in August, the largest shows of his career.
And you can bet that when indie-rock icons Arcade Fire come to the tri-state area on their next tour, supporting a new album out last Friday, that the seats will be packed — with fans happy to ignore the allegations against frontman Win Butler, who accused of sexual misconduct in 2022 by multiple women. Butler released a statement confirming the encounters, but denied any wrongdoing.
To be fair, none of this necessarily means fans are co-signing the alleged offenses. It also doesn’t mean that there is no recourse to atone for your mistakes. While there have been settlements reached in the case of Manson, neither he, Butler, nor Lacey have been convicted of a crime. Fans may point to this fact as justification or lean on their deep relationship to the music itself.
Even Kanye still has a healthy contingent of fans who have accepted who he is and are okay with it, or they are holding out hope “the old Kanye” will return someday. (He won’t). Defenders of Jerry Lee Lewis, Michael Jackson — who has an upcoming biopic about his life and long-running Broadway show — and R. Kelly also come to mind.
Some fans will stay away from these Jersey shows, citing moral compasses, while others will cling to the moments where their favorite musicians weren’t mired in controversy. It’s fitting enough, as concerts are supposed to help us forget about the world’s troubles for a few hours; not have them plastered front of us.
It is what it is. We’re well past the age of shame, anyway. Thousands will soon sing “Beautiful People” with Manson in Montclair, thousands more will howl “Sowing Season” with Brand New in Newark. I just won’t be one of them. That’s where I land here.
What disheartens me the most is that artists have potentially made choices to put fans in a tug-of-war deciding between what we know to be right and what we love. In the end, we all lose.
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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com