I've seen time and time again artists being the butt of some cruel joke or the face of a new meme. That isn't what particularly bothers me, it's that people genuinely do not favor these artists for some odd reason only because they're successful and talented.
It has become a trend to list all of the artists you can't stand, instead of lifting up the artists you do love. That is none of my business neither here nor there, but here is my list of artists who get hated on for what I think is no reason at all.
1. Beyonce
Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter has time and time again proven that her reign as queen of the charts, and queen of our hearts, will not be going away anytime soon. But what I have seen a lot of is hate for her because she is… popular??? And can *gasp* sing??? It's almost as if her dominance and presence in the industry annoys some people. She'll continue to sell out shows and make her music. So you're absolutely allowed to hate, but I can't relate.
2. Russ
Russ isn't new to the music scene, and he also isn't new to the onslaught of hate comments he gets on social media. I always see some joke about a collective group of people hating him, for reasons my mind cannot wrap around. He makes good music so that isn't people's problem with him. He also minds his business.
3. SZA
SZA's apparent "decline" is a confusing one for me. Everyone loved "Ctrl" for as long as I can remember, and many people still bop to it today. She has a platinum album and #1 records. What seems to be people's issue with her is that her live music isn't as ethereal as her studio versions of songs. But people vehemently ask her to stop making music. You were bopping to "The Weekend," don't think I forgot about that.
4. Logic
I can almost recall the time when everyone was excited for Logic's arrival to music. I was happy to be from the same place this up-and-coming rapper. We praised his first album. But I cannot for the life of me remember when people started hating his flow, his sound, and his lyrics. It was all at once, too. Where had all this energy and excitement for him gone?
5. Nicki Minaj
This "Nicki hate train" is relatively new, and definitely stems from the online created "feud" between her and Cardi B. Out of nowhere, people were against the "Superbass" rapper and claimed she couldn't write her raps or was just doing everything for tabloids and blogs. I vehemently believe that hating Nicki Minaj is a trend now, because many of the haters all were fans not too long ago.
6. Post Malone
I feel bad for Post Malone because his music, in my opinion, is good. Sure, he treads in that mix of hip hop and pop, but you cannot lie and say he doesn't have hitmakers. I've seen horrible things said about him, saying that he probably doesn't shower and smells like cigarettes.
7. Ariana Grande
There is an apparent unspoken hatred for those in the pop industry who are quite successful, and it is very hard to understand where that comes from. Ariana, going through all that she has, just wants to make music and perform for people. And before you go off saying she's problematic, I'm not denying that she has done some questionable things. But I don't think it's healthy to pray for someone's downfall, especially when they have no idea who you are. But anyways, stream "thank u, next."
8. Blueface
Blueface hate comes from the people who probably only listen to J. Cole and Juice WRLD exclusively. Yes, his flow is somewhat...different, but you cannot pretend it has not been replicated by the likes of legends like E-40, who actually appreciates Blueface's music. You're totally allowed to say you're not feeling his stuff, but to constantly tell anyone who will listen that you think he is trash? That's kind of tired.
9. Bow Wow
Yes, his strife and troubles in the media can be sometimes humorous, but I've heard people honestly say with their whole chest that Bow Wow isn't good. As if he didn't give us hits like "Shortie Like Mine" and "Let Me Hold You." That's just slanderous and kind of random.
10. Rico Nasty
Rico brings a new flavor to the hip hop genre that I don't think many people want to embrace. If you're not open to change, how can you ever move forward? I've heard comments about her outlandish appearance and how she's "weird." She is doing a lot of what some of your faves can't do. That includes the boys. If you're a hater, I feel bad for you.
Continue to stay mad if you like, but these artists will continue to make money off of the expense of your 3 a.m. Twitter rant and people will stream their stuff. Period.
