Popular public figures span every talent and profession – politicians, athletes, performers, and artists. The list goes on. However, when it comes to the power of fame and international impact, these cherished celebrities and their actions can cause severe emotional pain and confusion.

Kanye West, one of the most decorated and famous rappers of the past 15 years, has been active across Twitter and Instagram, displaying malicious messages about several groups of people. In the last month alone, Kanye posted screenshots on Instagram of personal text messages with ex-wife Kim Kardashian over a seemingly never-ending custody battle, a picture of a t-shirt with a “White Lives Matter” design, an anti-Semitic paragraph against Jewish people, and many other controversial messages. Still, the artist does not seem to understand how hurtful his messages are and instead attributes backlash to a conspiracy against him or as examples that further prove he’s right.

Who you think created cancel culture?

— ye (@kanyewest) October 9, 2022

While Kanye may look like one extreme example of artists coming under fire, others include Travis Scott, after his Astroworld Festival killed ten concert-goers in 2021, and Rex Orange County, who was recently charged with six counts of sexual assault. Notable artists like Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, and Chris Brown have also been criminalized and outcasted for impermissible actions.

Yet each month, Kanye West receives 50.9 million listeners, Travis Scott receives 35.9 million listeners, and Rex Orange County receives 20.6 million listeners. While there is undoubtedly some overlap in fan base, these artists span roughly 100 million total listeners per month. The influence they have is undeniable.

While these artists may not realize it, even the most minor actions can have lasting effects on listeners. A 2009 study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that teenagers who frequently listen to music that references marijuana are more likely to use the drug than teens with less exposure to those types of lyrics. Because of their commonality and popularity among teenagers, artists serve as role models for the current and future global community and need to start acting like it.

While artists need to become more apologetic for their words and actions, listeners need to stop supporting celebrities who consistently stretch the limits of common decency. Don’t just boycott an artist for a few months, because eventually, the public forgets about the harmful actions they made and continues to celebrate (and support) the artist.

While Kanye West, Travis Scott, and Rex Orange County have good music and are world-renowned artists, showering them with love after horrible acts must come to an end. Once multiple mistakes are made, it is clear that these artists’ interest does not rely on their fans. Listeners always come back for more when a new album is released and their name begins to trend and to make a difference, that needs to stop.

Earlier today, Kanye West’s school – Donda Academy – shut down because of his antisemitic comments, causing the rapper to lose millions of dollars. This is an example of one of the many steps in making sure these artists understand the consequences of their actions.

The only way to stop the artists from these actions and posts is to stop feeding their fame. Not buying their music, engaging with their platforms, or investing in their brands will show that the fanbase and supporters do not encourage their personal actions, and careers and images will take a significant hit. Halting listens on streaming services and concerts will relay the message that these artists must take responsibility for their actions.

It is no secret that artists have an ever-increasing influence. With the rise of social media and music streaming platforms, it is easier than ever for these artists to get in touch with their fans and even more so, their critics.

As of recently, there have been a lot of artists taking over social media and not in the right image. Artists like Ye West and Rex Orange County, have sparked controversy over their recent actions which have put them on blast in recent weeks. The real question is, should we be separating these artists from their music?

The answer is yes: we as listeners and supporters should be separating the art from the artist. Celebrities being controversial is nothing new. Whether it be Sinead O’Connor ripping the Pope’s picture on Saturday Night Live, Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, Britney Spears and her father, Justin Bieber in his teen years, or Demi Lovato’s drug dependency. In hindsight, all of these artists grew and had a chance at redemption. All of these artists had a chance to grow and redeem themselves and their image. No matter the severity of the situation, redemption is always possible. As time goes on people grow and develop, learning from their mistakes and finding the right balance for them.

When it comes to artists such as Ye West, mental health is a major issue among celebrities, with people like Ye West being diagnosed as bipolar and dealing with that in his everyday life. Infamous artist Billie Eilish has opened up about her struggles with mental health and suicidal thoughts. Other Artists, for example, Bruce Springsteen, have opened up about mental health with Springsteen himself experiencing emotional breakdowns.

With these artists’ lives always being broadcasted to the public and being followed by paparazzi 24/7 it is easy to make mistakes.

With every huge fan base comes a great amount of criticism.

We can all agree that celebrities do not always make the best decisions for their image, and that can cause a lot of backlash from media outlets, other influencers, and even internet trolls. With that, is it fair to put someone on blast because of a mistake they made?

Artists shouldn’t lose listeners because they made a mistake or are not in the right state of mind. We definitely shouldn’t blacklist these artists when we ourselves make mistakes too, the only difference is that people aren’t following us around with cameras all the time. Artists probably shouldn’t try and spark controversy, especially on social media. But at the end of the day, these artists are human and make mistakes. History has shown they can learn from and redeem their images.