Clout ≠ A Free Pass!
Unpacking classism in creative fields and the toxic seeds sewn by clout.
As we reach the midway point of 2020, there’s been quite a lot that’s happened in our society that has effectively shifted the perspectives and viewpoints of us all. We’ve all also started to gain a much wider insight into how the underbelly of our social institutions are severely corrupt, as well as how celebrity culture and the ways in which we revere it are extremely toxic. Being a producer in the ‘game’ now for over 9 years, there are experiences I’ve had with rappers & singers alike that have some slight name recognition, where the flexing of their track record comes into play. After I started getting some recognition from producing for Ken Rebel, a Brooklyn MC that gained a large following from the Tumblr rush of the mid/late 2000’s, I really saw how people will knock on your door and attempt to use clout as currency.
However, I feel as though we ultimately need to have a discussion regarding this status pandering that happens in a variety of fields in entertainment.
Clout does not equal a free pass.
We’ve all seen in it at least once in many creative fields and in regular, waking society; those that have managed to obtain some kind of critical acclaim then using their clout to either get over or obtain services for free. Now of course, if you run a clothing brand or producing something that requires being seen, giving free merchandise to a noteworthy face to help amplify the signal to your work is understandable. However, there becomes something problematic in using your clout to shame or expect individuals (particularly graphic designers, producers, songwriters, sound engineers) to work for free. There have been many times where we’ve seen language used in posts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, calling for virtually free labor: “Send your work to us (insert email) and let’s work! This’ll be good for your career and give you exposure.”
Now I do want to take a step back and verbalize this: Networking and exposure can prove extremely beneficial to artists of all kinds. However, a promise of exposure is a gamble and particularly during these times, in the midst of a shutdown world in response to COVID, many individuals can’t afford to gamble. Exposure can still be promised, but you can still probably afford to pay a creative the rate that they’ve set for you. Speaking from personal experiences, I can assure that the rates/prices set by many producers within’ my bracket are considerably affordable for rappers or singers looking for quality, ‘underground’ production. However, the toxicity of clout sets in when one automatically assumes their name prescribes them special treatment or free services. Not only does this reality rear its head in preliminary stages of creative ventures, but even during processes where services are paid for, there’s a poisonous presentation of clout in the sense of attempting to dictate rather than collaborate. In a series of videos giving tips to engineers & artists wanting to learn the art of mixing and mastering, HOT WOBBLE gives some pretty accurate insights into what paid mixing sessions look like, with some panning out to feeling like a ‘nerd for hire’ scenario.
Another thing that makes clout such a touchy subject, is the fact that it can plant seeds of toxicity in entire masses of individuals: Enter ‘stan’ culture. We all can be very passionate about artists we love and that have made a very large impact on our lives through their music, their triumphs, and really the criticism faced by various media outlets. It’s natural that we’d want to defend the very inspirations that give us a slight sense of purpose and have contributed to our own sense of self-image, especially as we step closer to self-actualization. However, lets be honest; there are fan groups all across various genres of music that ‘stan’ certain artists that either engage in toxic behaviors or have fanbases that are unafraid to turn downright psychopathic if you even express indifference towards that artist. I recall roughly a month ago agreeing with points made by Andre Gee, a writer for DJBooth, where he expressed the costs of Nicki Minaj’s most recent collaboration with rapper, pedophile, and snitch, 6ix9ine. The article, “6ix9ine & Nicki Minaj Got Their No. 1 Single — But at What Cost?”, eloquently and very carefully picked apart the greater, societal ramifications and messages that are sent when you still closely associate with a poser who ultimately helped feed a prison system that’s main diet is African-American men. Not only this, but label executives are willing to pump an artist full of clout in order to pass the buck, never thinking to look back at the destruction in the wake of such societal experimentation. Needless to say, as soon as I recommended the article for people to read to spark healthy conversation, three ‘Barbz’ proceeded to roast me, one bringing up a lack of critique of Travis Scott (wasn’t even mentioned in the article, but is also someone whom I feel also needs to check the company he keeps and practice in better PR responses, specifically when it comes to BLM).
Side tangent: Women in various fields are attacked at far higher rates by media outlets than men, that is undeniably true. We must hold everyone that perpetuates toxicity accountable, but more than anything your favorites that are MEN. I’m wholeheartedly aware of the abuse that women have suffered at the hands of media and society (in general) for generations, but we also need to hold accountable those that aid in misogyny from all sides.
The most gargantuan truth that I would like to come to is that the culture of clout, realistically, comes as a byproduct of classism. There have been rapists, pedophiles, misogynists, racists, & complete clowns that have lied dormant in our society for generations, plotting on their moment of when they obtained some type of power or a platform. As the days progress in this twilight zone of a year, the underbelly of the world as we knew it continues to be exposed, but I can only hope that as the light encroaches, those that so eagerly hid in the shadows for cover, lose their shelter.
The poisonous nature that clout brings and how its experienced can be quite alarming; what once was self-confidence has now been inflated to a point of conceitedness and this phenomena is not exclusive to mainstream culture. Analyzing the beat scene, the rave scene, and quite honestly the general music culture of the tristate area over the past few weeks has revealed just how many individuals within’ the environment have been sipping a little too heavily on their own, proverbial kool-aid. Those that show up for the ‘scene’ instead of trying to build a true, transparent sense of COMMUNITY, ultimately aid in the further desecration of a culture and inflated ‘tastemakers’ masquerade as prophets.
Clout and its false instillment of entitlement can be extremely subjective and living in our current society, we have to do a better job at humbling individuals before they grow into beings that simply disregard the livelihood of others.