.
Great Star Tribune article.
http://m.startribune.com/...414135263/

laytonian said:

. Great Star Tribune article. http://m.startribune.com/...414135263/

We will never see anyone like Prince again.

That's part of what I loved about the last great decade for music, the 90's.

As one critic stated, it was as if the artists were trying not to be listened to.

I know cynics will say they played into the system, but you can't deny the subversion of covers like this:

Justin Beiber is the new style disobedient musician.
He boycotts award ceremonies & is mean to his fans.
He is a rebel.

I agree with the article. Today's pop stars are not like pop stars of the past.

This is largely because pop stars today are weak and entitled. They haven't had to struggle (like past pop stars) which is why they haven't felt the need to challenge the system. They also overall are just very weak and not bold like past pop stars. You won't see a major pop star today boycotting their record label like Prince or even MJ calling out his record label. Everything is smoke and mirrors and done for image for today's generation. Back in the day, artists really strived to make statements/stances and they were willing to risk their reputation or even lose their careers to do so. Pop stars now are not willing to risk losing their fortune in order to stand up for whats right.

[Edited 2/19/17 10:41am]

mjscarousal said:

I agree with the article. Today's pop stars are not like pop stars of the past.

This is largely because pop stars today are weak and entitled. They haven't had to struggle (like past pop stars) which is why they haven't felt the need to challenge the system. They also overall are just very weak and not bold like past pop stars. You won't see a major pop star today boycotting their record label like Prince or even MJ calling out his record label. Everything is smoke and mirrors and done for image for today's generation. Back in the day, artists really strived to make statements/stances and they were willing to risk their reputation or even lose their careers to do so. Pop stars now are not willing to risk losing their fortune in order to stand up for whats right.

[Edited 2/19/17 10:41am]

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Dasein said:

mjscarousal said:

I agree with the article. Today's pop stars are not like pop stars of the past.

This is largely because pop stars today are weak and entitled. They haven't had to struggle (like past pop stars) which is why they haven't felt the need to challenge the system. They also overall are just very weak and not bold like past pop stars. You won't see a major pop star today boycotting their record label like Prince or even MJ calling out his record label. Everything is smoke and mirrors and done for image for today's generation. Back in the day, artists really strived to make statements/stances and they were willing to risk their reputation or even lose their careers to do so. Pop stars now are not willing to risk losing their fortune in order to stand up for whats right.

[Edited 2/19/17 10:41am]

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Supporting or not supporting politicans is not the same as really taking a stand on your beliefs to the point that your career can be in jeopardy for it. Alot these pop stars do things attention and popularity.

Purplestar88 said:

Dasein said:

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Supporting or not supporting politicans is not the same as really taking a stand on your beliefs to the point that your career can be in jeopardy for it. Alot these pop stars do things attention and popularity.

Nicely said. These pop stars only take "stances" that are politically correct, safe and only if it benefits them in some way. They are not going to make any bold statements or political stances if it in some way jeopardizes their career.

Dasein said:

mjscarousal said:

I agree with the article. Today's pop stars are not like pop stars of the past.

This is largely because pop stars today are weak and entitled. They haven't had to struggle (like past pop stars) which is why they haven't felt the need to challenge the system. They also overall are just very weak and not bold like past pop stars. You won't see a major pop star today boycotting their record label like Prince or even MJ calling out his record label. Everything is smoke and mirrors and done for image for today's generation. Back in the day, artists really strived to make statements/stances and they were willing to risk their reputation or even lose their careers to do so. Pop stars now are not willing to risk losing their fortune in order to stand up for whats right.

[Edited 2/19/17 10:41am]

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Those examples that you gave are not real rebel statements. These pop stars make safe "politically correct" stances that will not hurt their reputations or careers. Most of the time those fake stances are done for PR purposes and not because they really care about an issue.

mjscarousal said:

Dasein said:

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Those examples that you gave are not real rebel statements. These pop stars make safe "politically correct" stances that will not hurt their reputations or careers. Most of the time those fake stances are done for PR purposes and not because they really care about an issue.

Exactly. Look at what the Dixie Chicks went though.

Purplestar88 said:

Dasein said:

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Supporting or not supporting politicans is not the same as really taking a stand on your beliefs to the point that your career can be in jeopardy for it. Alot these pop stars do things attention and popularity.

Wait, how do you know that supporting a politician or not isn't the same as "really taking a stand
on your beliefs to the point that your career can be in jeopardy?" Also, there wasn't a pop star in
the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s who was more rebellious than any other. There were tons of pop
stars who went against the Vietnam War, and there were tons of pop stars who went against the
recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When Prince went against Warner Brothers, you better believe that he was taking a stand BUT he
was never at any risk of losing his career over it; I'm sure there would have been other record com-
panies that would have worked with him. So, this idea of testing a pop star's true rebelliousness
against the threat of career isn't too sound if it can't be applied to every rebelling pop star.

Pop stars of any generation do a lot of things to garner attention; y'all just don't like today's versions
of pop stars and are looking for reasons to criticize them as this argument is unfounded. Notice you
had nothing to say about Kanye West's rebelliousness as an example that there are pop stars today
who are "disobedient".

mjscarousal said:

Dasein said:

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Those examples that you gave are not real rebel statements. These pop stars make safe "politically correct" stances that will not hurt their reputations or careers. Most of the time those fake stances are done for PR purposes and not because they really care about an issue.

Carousal, c'mon now: don't pretend that you have the ability to test or judge or rate what is a
"real rebel statement" or that you can tell who has adopted a "fake stance" or not. You can't
tell if Bono's political stance is more authentic than John Legend's, for example. And we can't
tell if Justin Bieber's political stance is less authentic than Bob Geldof's stance in the 80s, for
example. If you're a pop star, it appears to be the case that one of your chief desires is to re-
main in the public eye, so we justifiably can question EVERYONE'S motivation!

What is a stance that you want to see a pop star take these days? Against homophobia? Well, we
got those. Who stand up for the Black Lives Matter movement? Well, we got those. Who rally
against global warming/environmental issues? Well, we got those. Who fight against record com-
pany/music industry corruption? Well, we got those. Who fight against war and US international
aggression? Well, we got those too. What issues should more pop stars be disobedient about?

And I notice that you too, didn't mention Kanye West. His stance of supporting Donald Trump is
proof that there are pop stars who are rebelling: ironically, West's rebellion goes against the desires
of the mostly left-leaning pop star and y'all aren't even recognizing it!

Purplestar88 said:

mjscarousal said:

Those examples that you gave are not real rebel statements. These pop stars make safe "politically correct" stances that will not hurt their reputations or careers. Most of the time those fake stances are done for PR purposes and not because they really care about an issue.

Exactly. Look at what the Dixie Chicks went though.

What?

The Dixie Chicks proves MY point - there are pop stars who rebel and take unpopular political
stances today. The reason why the DC's career suffered is because their audience was mostly
white, Republican, and evangelical and that population was pro-war in Iraq/Afghanistan.

But in order to be a disobedient musician doesn't necessarily require that you must be at risk
of losing your career over your disobedience: y'all created this requirement arbitrarily and don't
seem to be applying to every other famous or known pop star in the past who was also disobe-
dient.

Dasein said:

--Kayne is mentally disturbed. He is supporting a racist and I will not even go into his comments about black women.

thedoorkeeper said:

Justin Beiber is the new style disobedient musician. He boycotts award ceremonies & is mean to his fans. He is a rebel.

Dasein said:

mjscarousal said:

Those examples that you gave are not real rebel statements. These pop stars make safe "politically correct" stances that will not hurt their reputations or careers. Most of the time those fake stances are done for PR purposes and not because they really care about an issue.

Carousal, c'mon now: don't pretend that you have the ability to test or judge or rate what is a
"real rebel statement" or that you can tell who has adopted a "fake stance" or not. You can't
tell if Bono's political stance is more authentic than John Legend's, for example. And we can't
tell if Justin Bieber's political stance is less authentic than Bob Geldof's stance in the 80s, for
example. If you're a pop star, it appears to be the case that one of your chief desires is to re-
main in the public eye, so we justifiably can question EVERYONE'S motivation!

What is a stance that you want to see a pop star take these days? Against homophobia? Well, we
got those. Who stand up for the Black Lives Matter movement? Well, we got those. Who rally
against global warming/environmental issues? Well, we got those. Who fight against record com-
pany/music industry corruption? Well, we got those. Who fight against war and US international
aggression? Well, we got those too. What issues should more pop stars be disobedient about?

And I notice that you too, didn't mention Kanye West. His stance of supporting Donald Trump is
proof that there are pop stars who are rebelling: ironically, West's rebellion goes against the desires
of the mostly left-leaning pop star and y'all aren't even recognizing it!

Everyone has the ability to determine whether they feel a stance is geniune or is being orchestrated for one's own benefit. This is not just with pop stars, this is with anything. That is the difference between pop stars now compared to the past. IMO, your not making a real statement if it doesn't harm or jeopardize your reputation or career. What pop stars you feel have risked their lives and career to stand up to those causes?

How is Kanye backing Donald Trump rebelling when he won the election? There have been many celebrities that have came out in support of Donald Trump. Rebelling IMO would have been calling him out the way Madonna did at the Woman's March (and as a result she got banned from some radio stations) but then again THIS IS Madonna. She is a social activist and feminist and has always been this way.

laurarichardson said:

Dasein said:

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

--Kayne is mentally disturbed. He is supporting a racist and I will not even go into his comments about black women.

How does this contribute to the conversation? The point remains he's a disobedient musician despite
any of your thoughts above about him being true.

mjscarousal said:

Everyone has the ability to determine whether they feel a stance is geniune or is being orchestrated for one's own benefit. This is not just with pop stars, this is with anything. That is the difference between pop stars now compared to the past. IMO, your not making a real statement if it doesn't harm or jeopardize your reputation or career. What pop stars you feel have risked their lives and career to stand up to those causes?

How is Kanye backing Donald Trump rebelling when he won the election? There have been many celebrities that have came out in support of Donald Trump. Rebelling IMO would have been calling him out the way Madonna did at the Woman's March (and as a result she got banned from some radio stations) but then again THIS IS Madonna. She is a social activist and feminist and has always been this way.

You certainly have the ability to determine whether you personally feel a stance is genuine or
manipulative. But whe you start thinking you have the ability to determine the motivation and
intention of other people, that's when you start getting a bit out of control and thinking you're
God as you can read people's minds and have complete understanding of their intent. In the legal
realm, showing or proving someone's intention to commit a crime is fucking difficult to produce!
So, I don't think that you can tell whether or not a pop star is authentic with their political
engagement with any type of facility.

Kanye West, a Black American pop star, which is a sub-group that has historically voted for and
supported Democratic presidents/presidential nominees, supporting Donald Trump is a rebelling
against this historical status quo; he's rebelling against what we typically know about Black Ameri-
can pop stars.

Madonna was not always an activist and a feminist. At one point, early in her career, she could
not afford to be as such because she didn't have the social currency to be that. In other words:
if you have power and respect and money and prestige and influence, THEN you can adopt a
social platform as a recording artist without deferring to the masses too much. But I'm old enough
to remember Madonna's first two or three records and she was a pop singer, not an activist or
openly feministic.

And what is this "risking your life and career" business about?! Madonna never stared down the
muzzle of a gun threatening to kill her as a result for her political ideology. You see? You want
today's pop stars to risk their life for a cause because you simply don't like today's pop stars. MJ,
and Prince, and Bono, and Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen, and Jimi Hendrix, and D'Angelo, and
Janet Jackson, and Elvis Presley, and Stevie Wonder NEVER offered their very life for any cause -
you have a double standard here.

mjscarousal said:

Dasein said:

Carousal, c'mon now: don't pretend that you have the ability to test or judge or rate what is a
"real rebel statement" or that you can tell who has adopted a "fake stance" or not. You can't
tell if Bono's political stance is more authentic than John Legend's, for example. And we can't
tell if Justin Bieber's political stance is less authentic than Bob Geldof's stance in the 80s, for
example. If you're a pop star, it appears to be the case that one of your chief desires is to re-
main in the public eye, so we justifiably can question EVERYONE'S motivation!

What is a stance that you want to see a pop star take these days? Against homophobia? Well, we
got those. Who stand up for the Black Lives Matter movement? Well, we got those. Who rally
against global warming/environmental issues? Well, we got those. Who fight against record com-
pany/music industry corruption? Well, we got those. Who fight against war and US international
aggression? Well, we got those too. What issues should more pop stars be disobedient about?

And I notice that you too, didn't mention Kanye West. His stance of supporting Donald Trump is
proof that there are pop stars who are rebelling: ironically, West's rebellion goes against the desires
of the mostly left-leaning pop star and y'all aren't even recognizing it!

Everyone has the ability to determine whether they feel a stance is geniune or is being orchestrated for one's own benefit. This is not just with pop stars, this is with anything. That is the difference between pop stars now compared to the past. IMO, your not making a real statement if it doesn't harm or jeopardize your reputation or career. What pop stars you feel have risked their lives and career to stand up to those causes?

How is Kanye backing Donald Trump rebelling when he won the election? There have been many celebrities that have came out in support of Donald Trump. Rebelling IMO would have been calling him out the way Madonna did at the Woman's March (and as a result she got banned from some radio stations) but then again THIS IS Madonna. She is a social activist and feminist and has always been this way.

all you're saying here is kanye isn't rebelling against what you want him to...in essence, he is rebelling...against your expectations. he's rebelling against the establishment of anti-trump, which you assume he should be a member of.

peedub said:

mjscarousal said:

Everyone has the ability to determine whether they feel a stance is geniune or is being orchestrated for one's own benefit. This is not just with pop stars, this is with anything. That is the difference between pop stars now compared to the past. IMO, your not making a real statement if it doesn't harm or jeopardize your reputation or career. What pop stars you feel have risked their lives and career to stand up to those causes?

How is Kanye backing Donald Trump rebelling when he won the election? There have been many celebrities that have came out in support of Donald Trump. Rebelling IMO would have been calling him out the way Madonna did at the Woman's March (and as a result she got banned from some radio stations) but then again THIS IS Madonna. She is a social activist and feminist and has always been this way.

all you're saying here is kanye isn't rebelling against what you want him to...in essence, he is rebelling...against your expectations. he's rebelling against the establishment of anti-trump, which you assume he should be a member of.

My point is that his support of Trump, is supporting the establishment. Despite Trump not being liked by most Americans, Kanye supporting Trump won't hurt his career. The powers that be will make sure he is okay since Kanye is supporting their puppet.

[Edited 2/20/17 13:15pm]

mjscarousal said:

peedub said:

all you're saying here is kanye isn't rebelling against what you want him to...in essence, he is rebelling...against your expectations. he's rebelling against the establishment of anti-trump, which you assume he should be a member of.

My point is that his support of Trump, is supporting the establishment. Despite Trump not being liked by most Americans, Kanye supporting Trump won't hurt his career. The powers that be will make sure he is okay since Kanye is supporting their puppet.

[Edited 2/20/17 13:15pm]

i tend to think supporting trump will hurt his career more than would speaking against him. people are boycotting trump supporters more than they are his detractors...not much of a hit either way, though.

peedub said:

mjscarousal said:

My point is that his support of Trump, is supporting the establishment. Despite Trump not being liked by most Americans, Kanye supporting Trump won't hurt his career. The powers that be will make sure he is okay since Kanye is supporting their puppet.

[Edited 2/20/17 13:15pm]

i tend to think supporting trump will hurt his career more than would speaking against him. people are boycotting trump supporters more than they are his detractors...not much of a hit either way, though.

What did Kanye actually do when he supported Trump? I don't think Kanye cares either way about politics. He seems to say and do things for PR and attention (He also has a mental health issue which needs to be considered). This is why I wouldn't necessarily characterize his behavior as real stances on issues. I think a better example would be when he lashed out at the VMAs, Beyonce and Jay Z. I know he had a break down but I think there was a lot of to truth to what he said. The VMAs even responded.

[Edited 2/20/17 13:39pm]

Now this:

Drake walked away with two Grammy awards last weekend for “Best Rap/Sung Performance” and “Best Rap Song” for “Hotline Bling.” However, the 6 God revealed that the Twittersphere was not the only one confused by his wins in these categories at the 59th annual music event.

“Even though ‘Hotline Bling’ is not a rap song…the only category they can manage to fit me in is a rap category,” he said to DJ Semtex on the OVO Sound radio show, which was recorded the day after his wins (Feb. 13). “Maybe because I’ve rapped in the past or because I’m black, I can’t figure out why. Just like I can’t figure out why ‘One Dance’ wasn’t nominated.”

READ: Drake On Meek Mill Beef: ...roud Of”

He then went on to discuss his belief that the Grammys doesn’t know where to place black artists who are changing the game, so they’re relegated to urban categories.

“I love the rap world and I love the rap community, but you’re right. I write pop songs for a reason,” he said. “I wanna be like Michael Jackson. I wanna be like artists that I’ve looked up to. Those are pop songs, but I never get any credit for that…I won two awards last night, but I don’t even want them, because it feels weird for some reason. It just doesn’t feel right to me…[they want to] pacify me by handing me something, putting me in that category, because it’s the only place you can figure out where to put me.”

Drake turned down the invitation to come to the awards so that he could stay in London for his Boy Meets World tour. However, he doesn’t think he was missing much since he believes the Grammys aren’t a true testament to an artist’s greatness.

READ: Drake & Kendrick Lama...Grammy Win

“We’ve been conditioned to think that this is the true award for our accomplishments,” he said. “All I’m saying is, to kids that will be coming up in the future that might not get championed: that’s okay, too. You’re dealing with a bunch of people that are just people, at the end of the day.”

Listen to the full interview below. His Grammy comments can be heard around the 23:46 mark.

Dasein said:

mjscarousal said:

I agree with the article. Today's pop stars are not like pop stars of the past.

This is largely because pop stars today are weak and entitled. They haven't had to struggle (like past pop stars) which is why they haven't felt the need to challenge the system. They also overall are just very weak and not bold like past pop stars. You won't see a major pop star today boycotting their record label like Prince or even MJ calling out his record label. Everything is smoke and mirrors and done for image for today's generation. Back in the day, artists really strived to make statements/stances and they were willing to risk their reputation or even lose their careers to do so. Pop stars now are not willing to risk losing their fortune in order to stand up for whats right.

[Edited 2/19/17 10:41am]

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Kanye West is a poor example.This guy is nothing but an attention-seeking opportunist.Supporting Trump was nothing more than a publicity stunt.Does anyone truly believe that Kanye truly likes and supports Donald Trump? He's just trying to "go against the grain" and get headlines,like almost everything else he does these days.He's not a rebel,he's a media whore.

. . .

[Edited 2/20/17 15:39pm]

SoulAlive said:

Dasein said:

What? I see pop stars campaigning all the time for politicians they support. And then, I also see
pop stars telling certain politicians "Hey! I don't support your politics, so stop playing my songs at
your campaigns!" So, pop stars still make "statements" and take "stances" today!

Besides, I think your perspective may be skewed, and here's why: historically, most Black American
pop stars have publicly supported Democratic presidential nominees/presidents. But the most gal-
vanizing Black American pop star, Kanye West, publicly supported Donald Trump and got killed for it
in the press. But I can't think of a more rebellious gesture than for a Black American pop star to
support a Republican president openly. Kanye West is as rebellious as all get out. Y'all just don't
like him and/or his music.

Ultimately, the author of the article is REALLLY just saying he wants to see pop stars that HE likes
stand up for issues HE agrees with!

Kanye West is a poor example.This guy is nothing but an attention-seeking opportunist.Supporting Trump was nothing more than a publicity stunt.Does anyone truly believe that Kanye truly likes and supports Donald Trump? He's just trying to "go against the grain" and get headlines,like almost everything else he does these days.He's not a rebel,he's a media whore.

1) You don't know West's true intentions; all you're doing is speculating. We should never make any
attempt to speak definitively about people's political associations especially if we don't know that
person intimately or personally. Now, if you do know Kanye West intimately and personally, then
I would gauge your opinion of his motivation here differently. I'm gonna guess you don't know that
Negro at all and only "know" what you read from the media. Speaking of the media . . .

2) Most pop stars, at one point, are media whores.

But who cares if Kanye West is truly pro-Trump or not? The fact remains that he's publicly voiced his
support for him and as a Black American pop star, this is rebellious. Why we are judging a pop star's
authentic devotion to a political cause is waaaaaay beyond me!

Kanye West is a shameless attention-seeker.Everybody knows that He says outrageous things just to get a reaction and to "shock" everybody.I don't believe for one second that he likes and supports Trump.It's just his latest publicity stunt....like saying that he will run for president in four years.Don't fall into his trap.

Dasein said:

It's not "rebellious" to say and do things strictly for your own self-serving reasons.I bet that Kanye isn't even into politics at all He used to be known as a credible artist,but now he's just a tabloid celebrity,married to a Kardashian (the biggest media whores of all).Nothing rebellious about these type of people.

SoulAlive said:

Dasein said:

But who cares if Kanye West is truly pro-Trump or not? The fact remains that he's publicly voiced his
support for him and as a Black American pop star, this is rebellious. Why we are judging a pop star's
authentic devotion to a political cause is waaaaaay beyond me!

It's not "rebellious" to say and do things strictly for your own self-serving reasons.I bet that Kanye isn't even into politics at all He used to be known as a credible artist,but now he's just a tabloid celebrity,married to a Kardashian (the biggest media whores of all).Nothing rebellious about these type of people.

THIS.

When you rebel and stand for a cause you are doing it for something bigger than yourself.

Dasein said:

mjscarousal said:

Everyone has the ability to determine whether they feel a stance is geniune or is being orchestrated for one's own benefit. This is not just with pop stars, this is with anything. That is the difference between pop stars now compared to the past. IMO, your not making a real statement if it doesn't harm or jeopardize your reputation or career. What pop stars you feel have risked their lives and career to stand up to those causes?

How is Kanye backing Donald Trump rebelling when he won the election? There have been many celebrities that have came out in support of Donald Trump. Rebelling IMO would have been calling him out the way Madonna did at the Woman's March (and as a result she got banned from some radio stations) but then again THIS IS Madonna. She is a social activist and feminist and has always been this way.

You certainly have the ability to determine whether you personally feel a stance is genuine or
manipulative. But whe you start thinking you have the ability to determine the motivation and
intention of other people, that's when you start getting a bit out of control and thinking you're
God as you can read people's minds and have complete understanding of their intent. In the legal
realm, showing or proving someone's intention to commit a crime is fucking difficult to produce!
So, I don't think that you can tell whether or not a pop star is authentic with their political
engagement with any type of facility.

Kanye West, a Black American pop star, which is a sub-group that has historically voted for and
supported Democratic presidents/presidential nominees, supporting Donald Trump is a rebelling
against this historical status quo; he's rebelling against what we typically know about Black Ameri-
can pop stars.

Madonna was not always an activist and a feminist. At one point, early in her career, she could
not afford to be as such because she didn't have the social currency to be that. In other words:
if you have power and respect and money and prestige and influence, THEN you can adopt a
social platform as a recording artist without deferring to the masses too much. But I'm old enough
to remember Madonna's first two or three records and she was a pop singer, not an activist or
openly feministic.

And what is this "risking your life and career" business about?! Madonna never stared down the
muzzle of a gun threatening to kill her as a result for her political ideology. You see? You want
today's pop stars to risk their life for a cause because you simply don't like today's pop stars. MJ,
and Prince, and Bono, and Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen, and Jimi Hendrix, and D'Angelo, and
Janet Jackson, and Elvis Presley, and Stevie Wonder NEVER offered their very life for any cause -
you have a double standard here.

I am not sure why you take having an opinion as acting like "your a god". If someone makes a stance for a cause, people have a right to judge whether its geniune or for self serving purposes. These are public figures that brand something and want us as consumers to buy into that product so naturally we have a right to judge their intentions and the motives behind what they choose to stand by as I would hope any person would.