Female music stars like Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga should not be held responsible for Tekashi 6ix9ine And R. Kelly’s alleged crimes. The #MeToo movement loses natural allies by relying too often on guilt by association.
In the #MeToo era, guilt by association or collaboration is very prevalent in the music industry.
Artists are not only responsible for their own actions — they are also held accountable for the sins of people they choose to work with now or collaborated with a long time ago.
It is an interesting concept. Some writers go deep in painting a very dark picture.
For example, hip-hop phenom Nicki Minaj is being criticized left and right for working with Tekashi 6ix9ine on the hit song, “Fefe.”
Lady Gaga is still getting slammed for dueting on a track, “Do What U Want,” with R. Kelly close to five years ago.
The pop music darling should have known that the controversial R&B star had a dark past and would be a pariah in 2018, according to those critics.
The world is already messy enough for people to be blaming associates, especially women, for crimes committed by others.
Minaj did not push 6ix9ine to do the things he is accused of. And it is highly doubtful that Gaga is a supporter of Kelly’s misdeeds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5WpAHRqqdA
As such, activists might get better results if they can keep their focus on the real culprits via the justice system or financial arena.
Society wants purity, in an era where nuance is lost, except they are no clean hands.
Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley and so many others did things that many would not approve of today. Their music is still on every playlist.
Can music fans afford to “cancel” all the sinners? If they did that, it would be amazing, but they would not be left with much on their playlist.
It is a delicate dance, and this debate will probably go on for a very long time because artists like all humans are flawed, complicated, and multidimensional.
The saving grace is probably not coming from the speakers or headphones. Those who really want to change the world would be wise to focus more on winning hearts and minds in every corner instead of casting blame on potential allies because they do not have a perfect track record.
Pointing to what is wrong is often easier than offering real and tangible solutions.
