The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Deeds Magazine
“He does not deserve to be getting this much attention.attention.”
“This person’s song is beginning to sound irritating.irritating.”
“This person’s song is a red flag!!”
“Why are they giving this person airtime and attention when there are others around?”
These are variants of comments you will see whenever an artist making a particular genre, looks a certain way or has or has a minority background as far as music is concerned starts gaining massive attention for their music. While this is mostly taken at face as comments from listeners, the issue goes beyond just listeners' comments. Anytime this conversation arises on social media, there are people on the other side of the field. There are those who address the issues based on facts and point out aspects of the person’s craft that need some polishing or are questionable. There are those who, per their own standards, believe the person receiving attention for their craft is underserving of that, and there are those who are just floating, saying whatever can score them some Elon Musk coins and banger tweets. More often than not, while conversations of this nature surrounding the rise of an artist are not new, the conversations tend to take a somewhat discriminatory and personal turn when some artists come into play. As such, the conversation shifts from the craft to the person’s person and their being.
The world over there has been and continues to be a class divide. People from one background who look a certain way or sound a certain way are often treated differently from others. The entertainment industry, especially the music space, is no different. The truth is, that class divisions have been in place since creation. While this can be argued, the facts of the matter are that, just like people with money and power are treated special, people who look a certain way get special treatment in some spaces. Case in point: “pretty privilege,” a social term used to describe special treatment people receive as extremely gorgeous by virtue of their physical attraction. There have been instances of colorism where people of a particular skin tone are given preferential treatment over others. We can see the BBL pandemic currently happening in the music industry with people opting to get their bodies done because there is a belief that women who look a certain type of way are getting more attention.
At its core, classification within the music space stems from multiple fronts, and over time, they have found their way into the minds of consumers.
The real class divide in the music industry hangs on finances and access to resources. The entry point for artists and the structures behind them can be a booster for making or breaking an artist. Like Ko-Jo Cue said in his song “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” some people get a head start in life ahead of others. The same is true for people in the music industry. More often than not, people from a well-to-do family or family who are music royalty always have an easier entry and path to success in the industry.
We have seen several artists exploit pre-existing connections to manipulate the industry. While this writer encourages people with existing connections or financial resources to hasten their career trajectory, the continuous exploitation of these routes has created an unsafe environment for all. For the artist's themselves and their colleagues, who are from a working-class background and, as such, have had to claw their way through the ranks, It is this existing class divide in finance that has trickled down into other parts of the industry. There has been less and less emphasis on talent and musicality over the years, with the focus shifting to people who have the financial means. The constant flexing of financial power is causing a financial burden and imbalance in the space. People are getting priced out of services because people are overpaying for the bare minimum of services, making it harder for talented but financially handicapped artists to acquire such services.
Today, people are on social media crying for more emerging artists to break through, but unbeknownst to them, service providers and people within the industry are overlooking talent and focusing on who has the connections and financial bank to fill their pockets, and by so doing, denying consumers quality art. It is actions like these that continue to raise concerns about industrial plants. Many people regard being offered a shortcut to success because of their background and/or resources.
Photo credit 09Seyram
The bias and unscaled nature of the industry trickle down to how artists themselves view and treat each other. Artists that have an aesthetic and make a certain genre of music often think of themselves as superior artists or more talented. While some people are more visibly and sonically talented in their writing, vocals, and overall branding and imagery than others, talent is just a piece of the puzzle for success. There are constant arguments on social media about a genre being superior to another, which is a topic for another time, but the entertainment aspect of music separates songs from each other. Some songs not being for a particular occasion does not mean they cannot be used elsewhere.
However, the entitlement that talent equals success needs to be debunked. The entitlement has made artists who, despite their talent, do not enjoy the attention they deem worthy of their talent behave and belittle artists who may not be as talented but have garnered the attention that they earned through their craft.
Another instance is when preferential treatment is given to people based on their level of attraction, tone, or complexion. Time and time again, there have been stories of people being presented as the beauty standard. As such, we have seen people get body shamed and experience mental health breakdowns because people have been abused verbally over their complexion or features like dark spots or straight marks. While being an artist comes with some expectations for how you carry yourself, there are times when some of these should be overlooked. Especially things that are beyond the individual's control. People within the industry and consumers alike must learn to be tolerant of people and the diversity they bring to the table. The constant favouritism meted out to people in particular in turn creates self-hatred and inferiority complexes among people.
There is a school that believes no one should be denied the opportunity to create. Rather, there have to be structures that can create a more even field for all to play and indulge in, as well as systems in place where knowledge and skills can be acquired to pursue a career in music. . There should be room for people who make any genre of music to be heard and celebrated without having to be met with anger from others who feel entitled to the same level of attention.
When an industry fails to create structures to allow the best of the best as far as talent is concerned to thrive and only focuses on money, people who have the financial means to break through the glass ceiling will rise through the cracks, and they will be a reflection of what the industry is. It is the fraud of seeing people who are not putting out “quality” at the top that gets consumers riled up to come at others who are enjoying commercial success despite having lesser talent depth. Music experts will tell you that talent is but a fraction of what it takes to succeed. As such, if the industry wants its best talents to be at the top, creating quality music alongside the others, it must strive to create an equally structured system where both the rich and struggling can still pursue music.
Classism transcends the music industry and is not likely to go anywhere soon. The least industry and consumers need to do is create an environment where people can pursue their art and not be made to feel lesser. The industry should create structures that support those who may not have the resources of others. Art is diverse and inclusive; as such, there should be room to celebrate all this diversity. Whether we see that happen anytime soon is another story.
