Is it possible to separate the art from the artist?

Chapman students discuss the caveats of continuing to listen to an artist’s music through the recent controversy amidst hate speech from Kanye West. WikiCommons

For junior international business major Francesco Carriglio, having a radio show where he can talk about his favorite artists has always been the perfect outlet of discussion. This includes covering albums such as “Man on the Moon” by Kid Cudi, “Madvillainy” by Madvillain and “Channel Orange” by Frank Ocean. But his favorite artist to talk about as well as listen to has been Kanye West, whom the radio show, “Panthers See Ghosts," is named after. 

But due to recent controversy, Carriglio no longer feels comfortable talking about West on the show. 

“This whole thing with Kanye has been, at least for me, really eye opening,” Carriglio said. “Because beforehand, I was able to separate the art from the artists, but his lack of awareness… it feels very disturbing.”

On Oct. 8 West took to Twitter where he shared his offensive words, claiming he planned to, “go all death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” which is a reference to a U.S. defense military term when there is an extreme threat. West then said that it was impossible for his Tweet to be antisemitic because “all Black people are (Jewish).”

Although this question has long been a point of contention, recent controversies such as West’s hateful comments, sexual assault charges against Rex Orange County and racial slurs used by Morgan Wallen have reignited the debate whether one can truly separate the art from the artist. Carriglio told The Panther everyone is entitled to their own opinion but he deems the answer to this question “usually acceptable.”

“I think that everyone is allowed to make their own judgment on whether they tolerate the artists and no disrespect towards either side,” Carriglio said. “But there’s a huge caveat to this, and that is unless an artist is doing something that is universally seen as harmful. But people should not be judged if they can (separate the artist and music) or cannot.”

According to junior communication studies major Taylor Frazier, the thing she fears most is that people will agree with the hatred coming from West and it will give them an opportunity to express it themselves.

“I feel like it's very hard to do that in this day and age because people are getting so bold with what they say,” Frazier said. “There's unfortunately people that are going to align with what (West is) saying, and it's going to incite fear and hatred into people's hearts. So I think that's definitely a line to draw.”

For Frazier, those who claim to not support West’s words but continue to listen to his music put themselves into a bit of a contradiction, because they are still directly supporting him.

“I think people need to remember that with streaming music, you support them by giving them money directly,” Frazier said. “So, you're supporting the cause without actually saying you support it.”

Frazier’s sentiments that people felt more comfortable sharing their hatred proved to be true, with people in Los Angeles holding up signs and performing the Nazi salute on the 405 Freeway overpass saying that West is right about Jewish people.

Although West has been in the spotlight of recent controversy, there are other artists who have made some frowned upon decisions, leading fans to question their once unwavering support. For Frazier, this happened in the midst of the pandemic with singer Lana Del Rey.

“She's definitely done some controversial things in the past, such as wearing a mesh mask in the beginning of the pandemic,” Frazier said. “She's also worn a Native American headdress back in one of her music videos. Sometimes I don't really (know if I should still support her) but I still love her music.”

After West’s hateful comments, his biggest brand deal came to an end. Adidas announced they would no longer be in partnership with West, with many other brands like Gap and Foot Locker immediately removing West's Yeezy shoes from their stores. Junior political science and peace studies double major Mariana Juarez, told The Panther she believes Adidas did the right thing.

“If a brand on a large scale would support artists like that then of course, they're gonna look like they also support those ideals,” Juarez said. “From a brand standpoint, it's just a better idea to just cut ties, even if it brings in good money. It's just better at the end of the day to do what's right for your brand.”

Although Carriglio had to make the near-impossible decision to stop supporting West for now, he admits that as long as people don’t hang onto every word he says, it’s okay for them to make the decision to separate themselves from the artist and only focus on the art.

“I'm not gonna deny it — he makes incredible music," Carriglio said. "There's a reason why he was in my top three favorite artists. But some people can't separate it. I think what matters is you're able to admit that the artist is someone who's not your savior and not everything they say is right.”