Distinguishing the Art from the Artist: Is it possible?

Photo from Tory Lanez Store.

Aadhitya Balaji

In the modern world, the wrongdoings and drama of celebrities spread faster than ever, especially with musical artists, whose day-to-day lives are scrutinized online on social media platforms for the chance that new music is teased or referenced. However, massive amounts of publicity place a responsibility on these artists to expose appropriate sentiments toward their respective platforms. As fan bases grow, the population of people willing to accept any action from the artist also increases, regardless of its morality. When an artist does something that could be considered unethical or even something blatantly wrong, an underlying debate is sparked time and time again. Can we separate the art from the artist? Can we overlook the actions of our favorite artists to keep enjoying their music? The matter in question is not so simple. 

There have been many famous artists in the past who have been outed for doing or saying something wrong, with some even ending up in prison. In recent years, Tory Lanez, a Canadian rapper and singer, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of shooting another prominent artist, Megan Thee Stallion, in the foot (Coscarelli & Jacobs, 2023). Last year, while in prison, Tory Lanez released a deluxe version of his hit album, Alone At Prom,  which contained already finished songs that were just awaiting release. With the release of this deluxe, many of his dedicated fans took to social media and posted sentiments pertaining to releasing Lanez from prison, in addition to Megan deserving the attack. Lanez doesn’t make any remarks or nods to the situation in this album that attempt to cover up or justify his actions, at least in the case of this project alone. In 2020, Lanez released Daystar, which was seemingly a whole album to prove his innocence in response to Megan’s accusations (Minsker & Bloom, 2020). In fact, even after being sentenced, Lanez claimed, “I have always maintained my innocence and always will'' (Watson, 2023). Lanez’s behavior ever since the allegations were out has been far from someone who seems like they are innocent. It’s clear Lanez was not remorseful at all as he continually attacked Megan’s character throughout the entire lead-up to the trial. 

Personally, I really enjoyed this album and I would’ve loved to see more from him as an R&B artist in the same style as Alone At Prom. In this instance, it becomes a personal decision to separate the art from the artist. There is no excuse for Lanez’s behavior, nor his fan’s behavior when he released his deluxe album from prison. However, even though internally I have separated the art from the artist, is that action something that carries universally throughout all forms of art? Did I make the right decision? By continuing to listen to music that he releases, I am directly supporting him and his agency. Whether it’s more publicity or revenue, Lanez stands to gain from people like me who just want to enjoy his music. I believe that, to an extent, distinguishing the art from the artist is possible. A prime example is the way that I am able to acknowledge that Lanez does deserve to be in prison, but still allow myself to enjoy some of his music. I believe that it comes down to a personal decision on one’s own terms. However, this sentiment can also be dangerous. Leaving it up to the verdict of thousands, sometimes millions, of fans for each artist can lead to an undesirable outcome. Some of these fans are mindless followers, who find a way to justify anything and everything their favorite artist does, even if it is destructive. 

Controversial media giant, Kanye West, is a primary example of issues with leaving it up to the people to decide whether or not they want to separate the art from the artist. Due to the absolutely gigantic size of West’s platform, I’m sure that most people have been aware of the controversy he’s been part of in the past few years. Claiming that he himself is a Nazi and endorsing Hitler, West has spread a great deal of anti-Semitism across the Internet and the world in recent times. Kanye West understood the responsibilities that came with the large platform he possesses, yet he still decided to expose these people to his anti-Semitic ideals. The amount of hate that was spread shouldn’t be overlooked when we consider whether or not, as a listener, we can even separate West from his music, especially since he’s not been a stranger to controversy even before his anti-Semitic media rampage. 

The issue becomes more puzzling when you factor in the music itself. Kanye West’s music has taken a turn for the worse in regards to his world views. Bits and pieces of his anti-Semitisim have been sprinkled throughout his 2024 album, VULTURES 1 (Cherry, 2024). It becomes seemingly impossible to attempt to separate this from West as he clearly injects his hate into the music. This begs the question though: Are his songs without anti-Semtisism okay to listen to? What about his old catalog? It only becomes increasingly morally sophisticated as we dig deeper into this predicament. Listening to and talking about West still helps him do as he pleases. In fact, the more we criticize him in the media, the larger the platform grows, and the more he is able to expose people to his certain views that are destructive. To make matters worse, there are many Kanye West fans that would follow him to the ends of the Earth and wouldn’t hesitate to defend any of his actions. 

For better or worse, it is up to the listener to make the decision whether or not they want to separate the art from the artist. For example, I still listen to West’s old discography, even though the ethical chip on my shoulder grows with each and every one of his media outbursts. That was a decision I made on my own terms when I came to know about his anti-Semitism. Whether or not it was the correct decision to make, I don’t know. In fact, part of me believes that it is the wrong decision. If I were to hold myself to the strict, perfect morals that we seem to hold others to, I would say that the way to hold West accountable is to stop listening to his music. Stripping him of his platform to expose people to hate at mass is a solution to the influence of his destructive views. However, I believe that holding ourselves to those strict standards of ethics and morals for music can be restrictive in a sense. Some of my favorite listening experiences come from songs released by Lanez and West. Since there isn’t a set of ground rules that are applicable to every drastically different situation, in the end, it boils down to what we believe is best for us. The power is in the hands of the listener, despite the major or minor consequences that choice may hold.