New Releases
Bon Iver Drops Anticapitalist Anthem Featuring Bruce Springsteen and Jenny Lewis
"Each and every person on earth deserves to live fully with dignity, equity, justice, and joy. Instead, our capitalistic societies have created a world that is most supportive of the wealthy and the elite, and the predatory corporations and policies that drive their disproportionate success."
08.05.2020
Bon Iver
Bon Iver has shared a surprise new song entitled "AUATC."
Produced by Justin Vernon, Jim-E Stack, and BJ Burton, and featuring contributions from Jenny Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, Phil Cook, and more, it's Bon Iver's second single of 2020.
The song dropped today along with a music video created by Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson and starring Randall Riley. Filmed in New York, the video is mostly a montage of simple, beautiful footage of Riley dancing across bridges and through neighborhood scenes, all while wearing a mask. It's distinctly summer-in-the-time-of-COVID-core, from its DIY feel to its vaguely anticapitalist implications. (The video begins and ends with a few brightly colored cartoons depicting engorged, Monopoly Man-like men in suits all eating vast amounts of cake).
The song's acronymic title stands for "Ate Up All Their Cake," so its anticapitalist arguments aren't exactly covert.
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Bon Iver - AUATC - Official Video</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DusRnF36UA" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p><p>Unlike Taylor Swift's recent <em><a href="https://www.popdust.com/taylor-swift-2646808025.html?share_id=5678173" target="_blank">folklore</a>, </em>in which Vernon was featured, the song isn't a product of COVID-19 isolation. It's actually been in progress since 2018, when Vernon shared a rough demo. His digital platform PEOPLE described the song as "a rough draft of a song Phil and Justin worked on last summer. We want to finish it but havent had time in the same space to do so. We're open to ideas."</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-633"> </div>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">exile</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm08yUg38tE" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p><p><br></p><p>Like Bon Iver's first release of 2020, "PDLIF"—which benefited first responders and patients through the humanitarian aid organization <a href="https://www.directrelief.org" target="_blank">Direct Relief</a>—"AUATC" comes with a call to action. This time, the message is even clearer than the first one's: Down with the corporations that are swallowing us all whole.<br></p><p><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
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<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5d5e8ff4d63c58f5b2651cc1b173de1b"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OeUadGNcN-8?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Bon Iver - PDLIF - Official Video</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeUadGNcN-8" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p><p>Sonically, "AUTUC" is similar to <a href="https://www.popdust.com/bon-iver-ii-review-2639731244.html" target="_self"><u>Bon Iver's most recent LP, </u><u><em>i,i, </em></u></a>which is richly complex, warm, and joyous, like the sound of a raucous summer beach vacation mixed with a few drug-fueled escapades into parallel dimensions.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-635"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><p>"AUTUC" begins with a bittersweet, jingly piano riff reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's "Jungleland" era. It starts with Vernon's vocals, digitally processed into a surreal warble as usual, and then erupts into strings, harmonies, and euphoric, expertly mixed acoustic guitar and the odd whistling woodwind.</p><p>It's all a bit chaotic, and it definitely requires good headphones—if you listen to it in mono it can sound like a wall of sound—but a closer listen reveals Bon Iver's characteristically adept production skills, which resemble those of a particularly excellent chef. Electric strings race from one headphone to the other; drums kick things off to a sprint; the song ends with a wall of warm, ghostly "oohs" before collapsing back into a soulfully spare outro. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-636"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent22 - long_content --></p><p>As usual, Bon Iver is on the cutting edge of culture with his releases, preserving a sense of mystery with each of his eras. After rocking the folk music world with <em>For Emma </em>and building a mythological legacy off his time in an isolated cabin, he's since completely thrown off any semblance of genre, and he's turned Bon Iver into a gigantic family-like collective, which now appears to be involving itself in the dismantling of capitalism. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-637"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><p>Perhaps the progression of Bon Iver's career is a good blueprint for how we should all live: Take some time to process our trauma in isolation before finding our crew, trying some stuff, getting to know God and then dedicating ourselves to achieving equality for all the world's people.</p><p>The "AUTUC" release was accompanied by a distinctly anti-capitalist statement from the creators, as well as a call for donations to Minneapolis Sanctuary Movement, Red Letter Grant, Equal Justice Initiative, National Independent Venue Association, and 350. </p><p>The letter shows that Bon Iver's been using quarantine to do some self-reflecting—about his (or their—it's unclear who's exactly writing the letter) own privilege and complicity within capitalism and his own impetus to dismantle it, both within the music industry and in general.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-638"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent33 - longer_content --></p><p>Here's the band's statement:</p><p><em>Each and every person on earth deserves to live fully with dignity, equity, justice, and joy. Instead, our capitalistic societies have created a world that is most supportive of the wealthy and the elite, and the predatory corporations and policies that drive their disproportionate success. </em></p><p><em>The average person is cast aside and unheard; marginalized communities are further oppressed due to race, economic status, gender, sexual orientation, creed, criminal record, housing stability, education, ability, documentation status, and more. The pandemic further magnifies these grave inequities and this unchecked greed.</em></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-639"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><p><em>We must continue the fight to topple capitalism as we know it, and recognize our collective participation in its dominant institutions. Bon Iver acknowledges our own position within and use of capitalistic practices. It is with recognition of our privilege that we are fully committed to using our unique platform to challenge and change capitalism within our industry, and far beyond. </em></p><p><em>We must empower and embrace our vulnerable neighbors. We must fight racism and sexism and classism to build a stronger foundation for the home we all deserve. We must support the leaders and organizations working to change our world for the better. From providing safe and stable housing, to empowering women, to liberating incarcerated people, to celebrating art and music, to fighting climate change, these organizations work tirelessly to foster a world that celebrates our humanity on a local, national, and global level. Please explore, support, and take action:</em></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em><strong>LOCAL</strong></em></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001fmpq4WurT7RgjvbOtsGzc5ipKeTlkCoYUD2hy8ZfYVOeKJSDYTu2B30tIOXtBfJfXIxflPDnGdiEvZaZCOv1IlbLYR3FuuTqj2pBEGIuiOw-M_JzIc4C3u9jS1XqJ57TgGyGWs6oMzitPTuMgwMG2M73XK3bNYOw&c=qF6kwn1ZG3MoExrZSph9pTjIDuRj9y6YEW0aJbfsK-kOxMnoUPZvtg==&ch=QPaTIfnR_QNBZht8DWyiSGy0SG3L3yOmB83upJrEQTASNzHgBdp8mg==" target="_blank"><em>Minneapolis Sanctuary Movement</em></a> </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>(contact legislators / leadership; donate)</em></p><div id="cb3ca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="828eef5757c2a19fb1ce8e697cc88212"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1289381416724119552" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">The trauma of repeated displacement cant be understated. Beyond being a cowardly act — an admission from Mpls gov t… https://t.co/i7Cva48yp2</div> — Minneapolis Sanctuary Movement (@Minneapolis Sanctuary Movement)<a href="https://twitter.com/mplssanctuary/statuses/1289381416724119552">1596247459.0</a></blockquote></div><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001fmpq4WurT7RgjvbOtsGzc5ipKeTlkCoYUD2hy8ZfYVOeKJSDYTu2B30tIOXtBfJf92k30xeyKFHAxkWxxeQvHjdwWgLw7B-FJW3hJ0NYcd6OSsql3MVpzJ8MusE2wsJn6gYTETKQlDS7ZHvW4I7cxkdBiXVFTsB2&c=qF6kwn1ZG3MoExrZSph9pTjIDuRj9y6YEW0aJbfsK-kOxMnoUPZvtg==&ch=QPaTIfnR_QNBZht8DWyiSGy0SG3L3yOmB83upJrEQTASNzHgBdp8mg==" target="_blank"><em>Red Letter Grant </em></a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>(participate; apply)</em></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em><strong>NATIONAL</strong></em></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001fmpq4WurT7RgjvbOtsGzc5ipKeTlkCoYUD2hy8ZfYVOeKJSDYTu2B58Miyaz3IDmn1gRpSoSfw-RhO-mf1QRiI_ri6j7ZXd6X5HDH9baFIh7EP-4Iwhu3gtYhsJBVA8P1_D2UGiVHF0=&c=qF6kwn1ZG3MoExrZSph9pTjIDuRj9y6YEW0aJbfsK-kOxMnoUPZvtg==&ch=QPaTIfnR_QNBZht8DWyiSGy0SG3L3yOmB83upJrEQTASNzHgBdp8mg==" target="_blank"><em>Equal Justice Initiative </em></a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>(learn; vote)</em></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-640"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent44 - longest_content --></p><div id="f400a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="82d2612588e1280203f3fce84bdd1fd9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1284921456951021574" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"We all have an obligation, a mission, and a mandate to do what we can. We must speak up for those who have been le… https://t.co/iW2W3xK8ch</div> — Equal Justice Initiative (@Equal Justice Initiative)<a href="https://twitter.com/eji_org/statuses/1284921456951021574">1595184122.0</a></blockquote></div><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001fmpq4WurT7RgjvbOtsGzc5ipKeTlkCoYUD2hy8ZfYVOeKJSDYTu2B30tIOXtBfJf8-cx6v3FU7HN_8lidQheUfmKGAJI4ccvh5lUrz2PiGetdlD1xMITwlDxsEpT1tmkllY1BH--exjdLaiVaIJeeg==&c=qF6kwn1ZG3MoExrZSph9pTjIDuRj9y6YEW0aJbfsK-kOxMnoUPZvtg==&ch=QPaTIfnR_QNBZht8DWyiSGy0SG3L3yOmB83upJrEQTASNzHgBdp8mg==" target="_blank"><em>NIVA </em></a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>(contact legislators; support favorite venue)</em></p><div id="59d5e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7ddbcf4b1629abf7a7e012b0182d7ec0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1289641051943137281" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"Without this community, we're not going to survive. None of us have ever seen something so existentially threateni… https://t.co/tVwTtKB77L</div> — National Independent Talent Organization (@National Independent Talent Organization)<a href="https://twitter.com/NITO_Live/statuses/1289641051943137281">1596309361.0</a></blockquote></div><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em><strong>GLOBAL</strong></em></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001fmpq4WurT7RgjvbOtsGzc5ipKeTlkCoYUD2hy8ZfYVOeKJSDYTu2B30tIOXtBfJfGYqZys14AUAOZnynPFxkZsQWv2k61a_8Sb2hcckvTlBt2F6vt9T_jZmBUHa4tDOrkAcFf_rCUkI=&c=qF6kwn1ZG3MoExrZSph9pTjIDuRj9y6YEW0aJbfsK-kOxMnoUPZvtg==&ch=QPaTIfnR_QNBZht8DWyiSGy0SG3L3yOmB83upJrEQTASNzHgBdp8mg==" target="_blank"><em>350.org </em></a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>(join movement; participate in "Raise Your Voice for a #JustRecovery" campaign)</em></p><div id="424d0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7116e3438b463ae4fdc20e3ac706e755"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1291100059279532034" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Compounding disasters further expose the reality of the #climatecrisis. As hurricane and wildfire season hits the U… https://t.co/oeGnB2yfxC</div> — 350 dot org (@350 dot org)<a href="https://twitter.com/350/statuses/1291100059279532034">1596657216.0</a></blockquote></div><h2></h2><h2></h2><p>As Bon Iver said: Down with corporate bastards. A better world is possible. Redistribute the wealth.<br></p>
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On This Day: Hip-Hop Forever Changed America
Happy birthday to the world's biggest genre
08.11.2020
On this day in 1973, Clive Campbell, the Jamaican-American "selector" known as DJ Kool Herc, hosted a "back to school jam" at 1520 Sedgewick Avenue in the Boogie Down Bronx of New York City.
Armed with a booming sound system and reggae beats, Herc– a shortened nickname for "Hercules"– commanded insatiable audiences across the South Bronx with his unique looping technique called the "Merry-Go Round." "[I knew that] they were waiting for this particular break," Herc later said, "and I got a couple of records that got the same break up in it. I wonder how it would be if I put them all together."
<p>The subtle trick elongated the audience's favorite parts of their favorite funk records and kept the energy high. The widened section was known as "the break" or "the get down." "The beauty of Herc's set-up was that once he would find that section of the record, he would create a loop live in front of the crowd using the two turntables and the crossfader on the mixer," wrote <em><a href="https://www.complex.com/music/2017/08/how-august-11-became-hip-hop-birthday" target="_blank">Complex.</a></em></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Kool DJ Herc, Merry Go Round</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw4H2FZjfpo&t=2s" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p><p>The method of the "Merry-Go-Round" quickly became universal among the Bronx's other pioneer DJ's. DJ Afrika Bambaataa, who headed the legendary hip-hop unit Universal Zulu Nation, added to the "breakbeats" in his own way, <a href="https://www.wnyc.org/story/89709-south-bronx-hip-hop-year-zero/" target="_blank">infusing the sounds of salsa, West Indian music, and rock and roll.</a> His 1982 track "Planet Rock" was one of his biggest crowd-pleasers and sampled an electric piano from the German quartet Kraftwerk. Meanwhile, Theodore Livingston, otherwise known as Grand Wizzard Theodore, also began toying with "breakbeats" and in turn invented what is now known as "scratching," which helped the records bounce and sound more percussive.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-633"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent1 - mid_content --></p><p>Then came the almighty Joseph Sadler, better known as Grandmaster Flash, who founded the Furious Five, the first-ever hip-hop group. Together, they incorporated poetic rhymes alongside Flash's slick instrumental breaks. Best known for their funky track "The Message," Flash invented cutting, which involved playing the same song on two separate turntables and snapping back and forth between them to create an entirely new record (he also invented the now-iconic backspin).</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-635"> </div>
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<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="af7f40b46942865316ffae5a0f1694c2"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PobrSpMwKk4?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message (Official Video)</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PobrSpMwKk4" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p><p></p><center><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><!-- Popdust Mobile Banner 320x100 --><ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:320px;height:100px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4301469008561137" data-ad-slot="6952751205"></ins><script>
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</script></center><strong></strong><p></p><p>But what evolved from the South Bronx in 1973 has now transformed American culture as a whole. <strong>Hip-hop has sunk its teeth into everything </strong><strong>from dance to fashion </strong><strong>and has wholly redefined American culture in the mere 47 years it's been around. It has single-handedly become the most impactful genre to ever exist in music–and not merely because it sounds dope.</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Still, despite mainstream's embrace and occasional exploitation, hip-hop has remained, first and foremost, a platform for hustlers, philosophers, and critical thinkers. "Hip-hop as a musical and global cultural form forces us to think critically about what we define as valuable knowledge, who we recognize as knowledge producers, and how knowledge can be created and shared," wrote <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/arts-blog/cultural-significance-hip-hop#:~:text=The%20study%20and%20archiving%20of,'&text=Hip%20hop%20is%20not%20a%20new%20subject%20of%20study%20in%20Oxford." target="_blank"><em>The University of Oxford</em></a>.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-636"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent22 - long_content --></p><p>The genre has overtly challenged authoritative perspectives and always shed light on the urban struggles for the underrepresented. In turn, it's birthed an incalculable number of storytellers and urban prophets, who all relentlessly grind for their city and their family. They fight to educate the masses and inspire other underrepresented people to succeed against all the odds.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-637"> </div>
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<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="70d3c6b1ae217a3f9d6cc35695e0fda2"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GT9IWNxHupc?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Scottie Beam featuring Rick Ross (Official Video)</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT9IWNxHupc" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p><p>"Visualizing the realism of life in actuality, f*ck who's the baddest, a person's status depends on salary, and my mentality is money-oriented," raps <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEwSfbE9IXc" target="_blank">NY emcee A.Z.</a> as he reflects on the morbidity of life. On his legendary feature on Nas's 1994 hit "Life's a Bitch," A.Z. uses a double entendre to prophesize that life can only feel real to a person if they fully immerse themselves in their existence. </p><p>"The revolution is the genocide...my execution might be televised," Freddie Gibbs raps on 2020's "Scottie Beam." In just a few bars, he dissects the morbid cycle police killings and how "the revolution" won't happen until more people of color die. "Cash rules everything around me," Method Man chants, frustrated, on Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 hit "C.R.E.A.M." as he reflects <a href="https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/wu-tang-clan-cream-cash-rules-everything-around-me-misunderstood/" target="_blank">on the frustrations of capitalism</a>.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-638"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent33 - longer_content --></p><p><strong>For the last 47 years, hip-hop has always documented the American underbelly.</strong> Now, as the squeaky-clean revisionist history of America seems to further erode in 2020, it's important to remember where we heard the truth from first, because it definitely wasn't from a textbook.</p><h4>Want to Read More?</h4><h4><a href="https://www.popdust.com/5-albums-to-help-get-out-head-2645826593.html" target="_blank">5 Relaxing Rap Albums to Get You Out of Your Head</a></h4><h4><a href="https://www.popdust.com/5-albums-to-help-get-out-head-2645826593.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.popdust.com/medhane-interview-full-circle-2645576544.html" target="_blank">Interview: Medhane's Moment Has Finally Arrived</a></h4><h4><a href="https://www.popdust.com/the-most-annoying-love-songs-of-the-early-2000s-2646942641.html" target="_blank">The Most Annoying Love Songs of the Early 2000s</a></h4>
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Swifties Need to Calm Down
When "stans" attack those who criticize their heroes, why won't those heroes speak up?
07.27.2020
It's time for us to reevaluate stan culture.
For those who somehow missed the news, Taylor Swift released her surprise eighth album, folklore, last weekend. Featuring contributions from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and the National's Aaron Dessner, it marked a notably stark sonic shift for our reigning pop princess, a noted indie fan in spite of what that one line in "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" might've suggested.
But even the extremely short notice of folklore's release didn't keep Taylor Swift's most diehard fans from, well, doing what Swifties do best.
<p><em>Pitchfork</em> revealed their hotly anticipated review of <em>folklore </em>the following Monday, awarding the album a score of 8.0/10—not high enough to merit a "Best New Music" title, but an impressive feat considering the website's complicated history with Swift's music. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Still, the Swifties attacked, doxing the author of the review out of sheer anger that the album didn't receive a perfect 10. In tweets that have since been removed due to violating Twitter's guidelines, Swift's fans shared the reviewer's personal contact information—phone number included.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-633"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent1 - mid_content --></p><p></p><center><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
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<div id="201af" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3903bb396036f565d0649fed6170fbf9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1287822906655989760" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">So wait...let me understand this.
@jumonsmapes, who did a very well-done review of @taylorswift13's #folklore alb… https://t.co/uvH2bZOb0d</div> — Juan D. ¡VIVA LA RAZA! (@Juan D. ¡VIVA LA RAZA!)<a href="https://twitter.com/jhulud/statuses/1287822906655989760">1595875882.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><strong>Cloaked in ambiguous screen names and Twitter avatars of their blonde hero, Taylor Swift's fan base has grown into one of the most ruthless and terrifying of its kind. </strong>With each review of <em>folklore</em>—whether it be from Pitchfork, the <em>Guardian</em>, or <a href="https://twitter.com/joncaramanica/status/1287429469465124864?s=20" target="_blank">the <em>New York Times</em></a>—the Swifties viciously barraged the publication's Twitter replies if the critique was anything less than perfectly gleaming.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-634"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent11 - mid_content --></p><p>Swifties care about numbers. Their goal, it seems, is for <em>folklore </em>to achieve a score of 90 on Metacritic, a reviews aggregator. Judging from their replies, it seems these fans feel a responsibility to go to extreme lengths for the sake of defending their idol. </p><p>But Swifties aren't the only fans to take their celebrity worship too far.</p><p>In late 2018, following his rapid engagement and split with Ariana Grande, Pete Davidson shared <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/krystieyandoli/pete-davidson-after-split-with-ariana-grande-posts-candid" target="_blank">an Instagram post detailing his mental health issues and history of suicidal thoughts</a>. "I've been getting bullied online and in public by people for 9 months," the comedian wrote, almost certainly referencing Grande's fans. "I've spoken about BPD and being suicidal publicly only in the hopes that it will help bring awareness and help kids like myself who don't want to be on this earth." <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/12/15/nypd-checked-pete-davidson-after-he-posted-an-alarming-instagram-message/" target="_blank">Widespread concern, namely from Grande herself, resulted in the NYPD conducting a wellness check on Davidson</a>. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-635"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent2 - long_content --></p><p>Though Davidson was found safe, <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/12/218537/ariana-grande-tells-fans-gentle-with-pete-davidson" target="_blank">Grande still asked her fans to be "gentler" with him</a>. His post struck a nerve with rapper Cardi B, who felt the need to spread the message to her own fans in the midst of her tumultuous romance with Migos member Offset.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-636"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent22 - long_content --></p><p>"You just saw how Pete Davidson was talking about how he doesn't even want to be on this earth because mad people be coming at him every single day," Cardi said, following her performance at Rolling Loud that was interrupted by Offset. "I wouldn't want my baby father to have that feeling because millions of people be bashing him every day."</p><p class="media-headline">
<strong>Twitter</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-proxy-image">
<a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/DannyDTaken/status/1074280356545744897" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vbWVkaWEucmJsLm1zL2ltYWdlP3U9JTJGZXh0X3R3X3ZpZGVvX3RodW1iJTJGMTA3NDI4MDI3ODI4NDA3MDkxNyUyRnB1JTJGaW1nJTJGYkFuZW42WGJvTjM1M1hJTi5qcGclM0FzbWFsbCZobz1odHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnBicy50d2ltZy5jb20mcz00MTImaD1hMmIyNDc2MGQ3Njg4OGIzZTg4MmJkOTdhZjYxZTdjMGYxMjllZGY3ZGE3ZWFhZmQ0NmUyMTAwODNlYWJmYzU0JnNpemU9OTgweCZjPTE0NDE4ODM2MTgiLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjMyMjQyMTA0fQ.G2H2mTC8wEGoXQFLAKqKWHmnA8pkXz0-XdVqGp0xWdE/img.jpg" id="e65ff" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="84d8d511de38be209b3f518aecfd2159"></a>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Twitter</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://twitter.com/DannyDTaken/status/1074280356545744897?s=20" target="_blank">twitter.com</a>
</small>
</p><p>As long as we have mega-popular artists like Grande and Cardi, we will have mega-devoted fan bases. <strong>But there's a reason why Cardi's fans and the Arianators aren't perceived as being "toxic" as often as, say,<a href="https://www.popdust.com/-toxic-fan-bases-popdust-opinion-2632783271.html" target="_blank"> fans of Nicki Minaj, BTS, or Swift.</a></strong><br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-637"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent3 - longer_content --></p><p><a href="https://www.mic.com/articles/190104/what-its-like-when-nicki-minaj-and-her-fans-harass-you" target="_blank">It's a common ordeal for critics to be berated by fans of Minaj</a>, should they dare say anything even remotely negative about the Queen of Rap; I myself received death threats from countless Minaj fans just earlier this year for <a href="https://www.popdust.com/nicki-minaj-yikes-2645064903.html" target="_self">a negative song review I wrote</a>. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/03/nicki-minajs-dark-bargain-with-her-fans" target="_blank">The rapper has come under fire for inciting her fans</a> and sicking them at her naysayers. BTS' "ARMY" has been dubbed the world's most powerful fandom, <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/05/18/how-bts-mania-spawned-a-toxic-k-pop-fanbase-that-attacked-me-online/" target="_blank">spawning a "toxic" environment that often hides behind anonymous fan accounts</a>.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-638"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent33 - longer_content --></p><p>Swift, on the other hand, hasn't exactly made any public orders for her army to attack—but for someone with a generally positive demeanor who literally made a song called "You Need to Calm Down," Swift's silence regarding her fans' actions seems to allow the hostility to swell further.</p><p>It's time for Swift to practice what she preaches and advise her fans to stop attacking critics so mercilessly; other stars in her lane must also follow suit. These fervent fans—or "stans," as popularized by the Eminem song about an obsessed fan—have come to feel an overwhelming responsibility to go to bat for their idols. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-639"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - incontent4 - longest_content --></p><h2></h2><p>As Swift's decidedly darker 2017 album <em>Reputation </em>explored, you can't control how people perceive you if they live outside your world. When fans don't realize this, "stan" culture becomes a lifestyle. And when one's lifestyle is threatened, it's in our human nature to attack.</p>
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