I'm Sick of Mediocre Men Dominating the Music Industry
Collage by Marayam ElSharkawy
I am sick and tired of male mediocrity in the music industry. I’m sick of the incessant need to have to praise your local average-at-best Soundcloud “musician.” I’m sick of talentless men being praised over talented women, simply because it is more socially acceptable to publicly criticize and degrade said women. And, I’m really sick of feeling the need to guard the feelings of men simply out of fear and internalized misogyny. I am done being sick.
It’s not a surprise that we all know someone trying to get their start on Soundcloud by uploading recycled beats with corny lyrics about a girl who broke their heart in high school. Sure, it could be because fame is more accessible for the everyday person nowadays, making it much more enticing to try to chase views and followers. But, I have a different theory. Take only-child syndrome, for example: they’re typically louder, more likely to express their feelings and thoughts, and don’t have the social experiences to understand certain cues and customs that children with siblings had to learn. I think there is a similar case with the way many boys grow up - and, yes. I am about to have my “we live in a society” moment. With the gender norms and stereotypes that many people see as crucial when raising a child, boys are less often told things such as “you’re too ambitious” and “you need to quiet down.” Thus, later in life, men are less likely to feel anxious when speaking up in group settings or to say things like “but, I’m not sure if that’s right” after their answer in school. This creates the overconfident and bossy workplace misogynists, the mediocre Soundcloud rappers that think they sound like A$AP Rocky and the CEOs that pay women less for doing the same job.
We’ve witnessed countless men with little to no talent see millions of dollars in success simply for being bad at their jobs. Take 6ix9ine, a certified sex offender and god-awful lyricist. Sure, his songs didn’t go viral because they were artfully crafted pieces of music, but rather because they were humorous and fun to dance to at middle school formals. Regardless, even after his sexual relations with a child were publicized, he never lost his platform. He was still able to produce music, create sponsored content on TikTok, and continue hoarding an obscene amount of wealth. To make matters worse, this is not a cherry-picked feminist rant. There are countless other male artists that have been able to pull the same stunt: Chris Brown, Playboi Carti, and the depressing amount of indie artists that were exposed for being abusers and pedophiles (I’m looking at you, Mac DeMarco). Women simply do not get the same treatment in the music industry. Female music artists can be cancelled for just about anything: Lizzo, for spreading body positivity and being confident in her own skin; Taylor Swift, for using petty lies about herself to make hit songs; the list goes on. So, even though Mac DeMarco exposed his penis to a group of minors, Clairo should be deplatformed because a couple fans said she was slightly rude at a meet and greet. While Chris Brown can continue to make music with relatively little controversy in the media, Lizzo typically receives more attention to her body than the message she tries to portray in her music. Women aren’t seen first for their talent, but rather for what they have - or do not have - to offer men. The double standards of the music industry create a toxic environment for almost any successful female artist, ensuring that the field continues to be dominated by men.
Many women share the sickening experience that is “pretend to be nice to this random man talking to me on the street so he doesn’t kill me.” Oh, how often we guard the feelings of men for our own safety, and how unconsciously we do this every day. This creates a paradox between “men are manly and therefore should never cry” and “don’t tell him the truth, you’ll make him upset''; which one is it? May I tell this man that his bedroom-pop synth beats are genuinely horrible, or do I sit and smile so that I don’t get raped in his Frank Ocean poster-covered room? Gender norms produce early-onset god complexes while simultaneously harboring serious anger issues and deep-rooted insecurities in men. And, women have become the punching bags to solve both of those problems.
Feminism this, gender roles that, who cares. How do we actually take steps toward dismantling male supremacy in the music industry? Here’s some things you can do every day to destroy your internalized misogyny, support talented female artists, and piss off your local indie band with skeletons in their closet:
Stop participating in cancel culture because it’s fun. Sure, you get a quick dopamine rush because you “cancelled” a female artist for being slightly rude to some fans one time. But, in the long run, you’ve helped no one and made no progress toward your weird pick-me girl dream world. Also, double standard check! Tyler, The Creator’s literal personality consists of being rude to his fans for fun. But, he’s just cool and edgy. Woman? Rude and a mega diva.
Genuinely look into the female artists you “hate.” After spending 15 minutes watching a video essay about Taylor Swift, I genuinely respected her as a person and was more inclined to listen to her music. Almost none of the rumors about her turned out to be true, and she’s a relatively admiral person to look up to.
Start calling male artists by what they actually are. 6ix9ine is a pedophile. Chris Brown is an abuser. Playboi Carti is a horrible father and values fame over his own children. They are not “your idols”, they’re bad people with platforms that can potentially have an influence on their fans.
Stop accidentally supporting bad people. Everytime you dance to a 6ix9ine song on TikTok, he profits. Buying that Chris Brown merch because it’s cute even if you “don’t support him” is still giving him money. The money you give them has power, and they already have way too much of that.
Start purposefully supporting good people. Make it a point to listen to more female artists. There’s undiscovered women in every genre, and they need all the support they can get. Your intent has an impact, so use your power to your advantage!
So many other great content creators have talked about this issue! Check some of them out!
The Medicority of Men in the Music Industry: Ximora Pretty
Why So Many Mediocre Men Rise to the Top - The Guardian
Sexism in the Music Industry & How You Are a Victim Too - Medium