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Hey, guys and gals. Music is one a serious passion of mine, music is love, music is life. But, lately, there have been some serious music controversies, and I'd like to hear (or read) what you guys' thoughts on them are.

1) First and foremost, Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, has committed suicide by hanging. It was an abrupt end to the band's frontman, especially since they recently dropped a full length studio album, that I'm pretty sure sold well. They changed their sound with their latest, from a alternative rock sound to a pop sound. I wasn't the biggest fan of this change, but if that's what sells albums today, go for it. Chester Bennington, according to fellow band members, was good friends with Chris Cornell, lead singer of Soundgarden, and plenty of other bands (he's also had his fair share of hits through the days), and apparently, they were good friends and the death hit Chester hard. Chester was also sexually molested as a child, which also probably put tick marks on his psyche level of crazy.

Anyways, what do you guys think about it? I mean, the guy left behind 6 kids and a wife! Do you think it was selfish? Justified? What about his fans? Do you think Linkin Park will split up, or do you think that they continue on in tribute of their dead bandmate?

Also, here's there latest single, dropping the same day Chester Bennington killed himself https://youtu.be/lvs68OKOquM

2) The second controversy is revolving around Tyler, the Creator. I personally love this guy, he's been a brilliant troll for years, but in his new album, Scum Fuck Flower Boy, he has some pretty defining lyrics- "I've been kissing white boys since 2004", and plenty of other homosexual references throughout the album, like the song Garden Shed, which seems to be about coming out of the... shed? You can find the song 'Ain't Got Time' by Tyler uh... over there ->https://youtu.be/9RsIFKxP47s

Anyways, Tyler's sexuality doesn't concern me as much as the media buzz surrounding it. It was leaked about a week before release. It was a rather bold and brave move, since, you know, Rap music in general has been kind of homophobic. And by the way fans are treating it, you would have thought that Tyler was talking about fucking orphans and torturing women (oh, yeah, he's done that before, but nobody seemed to care about that!). He has also been accused of being homophobic before, continually using the word 'fag', 'faggot,' etc.

In my humble opinion, I think that it's a publicity stunt, since he hasn't confirmed or denied that accusations that's he's gay. Also, if you look at his single release schedule, the first single was a banger, followed by two sensual songs, and the last song before the album dropped had the lyrics about him kissing white boys. I'm pretty sure that was to garner the views, unfortunately the album was leaked and that pot was stirred before it's time.

What do you think about Tyler the Creator? His new album's alright, but not exactly a mind blowing album. Do you think it's a publicity stunt? Do you think he's actually coming out? A mix of both?

3) And finally, onto Jay-Z's newest music. It's controversial for a number of reasons, namely because in his wife's latest album, Lemonade, she outed him and her marriage as not being as great as Jay-Z made it out to be. Now, Jay-Z has been fueled by ego for years now, and this new album, 4:44, has been a total deconstruction of that image. It's kind of hilarious.

Another controversial buzz around his new music has been around the song The Life of O.J. I love the song personally, but there's a lot of people out there stating that white people can't enjoy, or understand this song. It's ridiculous, but, of course, people are saying it, y'know? The Story of OJ can be found... over there -> https://youtu.be/RM7lw0Ovzq0

I also find it hilarious that this dropped so close to the time that OJ is getting out on parole.

'I'm not black I'm OJ........okay.'

Of course, old white people are offended, as you can see here -> https://youtu.be/3Mv5ugGxJeY and the music video depicts black people as monkeys and in stereotypical situations. OH, and of course the lyrics about Jews are coming off as offensive to them, as well.

'You ever wonder why Jewish people
Own all the property in America? This how they did it'

Jewish people hate the lyrics because they believe that it is stereotyping them into owning all the property in America.

Anyways, tell me what you think about all of these topics!

Oh, and one last thing, this being a writing site and all, I reccommend you guys check out the Mountain Goats newest album, it's got some pretty solid storytelling (though you can't choose the story... yet) titled Goths. I think it's got some pretty good storytelling on it. You can find the first single of that album here --> https://youtu.be/anS6bcPpvoQ

Shit I did not know about Chester. That's really sad. I went through a big LP phase and, while I don't really listen to them anymore, I appreciate how good a lot of Hybrid Theory, Meteora, and a few songs from other albums. In recent years I always thought Chester seemed more stable since the 90's and he sobered up as well. I gave a few of their more recent songs a listen a few months ago and didn't particularly like them, but it annoys me when people get angry at a band for exploring or moving into different sounds or genres. Besides, I doubt Chester's voice could have taken songs like 'One Step Closer' for much longer and, if that's what kind of music they want to pursie, then fine. 

Suicide is tragic in any case. I think it's quite cynical to outright say that it's selfish, but I can see why people would say that. I don't think it was 'justified' either, because suicide is rooted in mental health issues that can, hopefully, be addressed. It's a shame he saw that as the only option. Obviously it will be hard for his family, but I feel to blame Chester, someone with a history of mental health issues, would be lacking in compassion a little.

I doubt that it's a publicity stunt. Being gay is a taboo in rap, and what taboos hasn't Tyler smashed up already in his music? That, or he's just talking about his sexuality and doesn't give a shit; it wouldn't surprise me because he doesn't seem like he cares what anyone thinks about him tbh.

I don't care about Jay-Z so whatever.

Yeah, Chester's death was sad and all, but I just don't see how somebody could do that. After seeing loved ones (Chris Cornell, for example) kill themselves and know firsthand what kind of pain that caused, I just cannot contemplate doing that to his loved ones, band members, and fans.

And the transition from rock to pop didn't exactly upset me, it's how they did it that I didn't like. Changing from their initial form to generic pop didn't seem like experiementing to me, it seemed more like selling out. But I don't hate them for it, the music industry is a hard place to work in when you're a rocker.

Tyler's been a major troll for years now, and toying with taboo topics doesn't seem to faze him, but the way the situation was handled (without considering the leak) it kind of seemed like something to boost album sales.  Just the way he slipped the lyrics into a potential single seemed like a way to fuck with people's minds:

'The next line will have them like whoa
I've been kissing white boys since 2004'

Next line will have them like whoa, which it had a lot of people like whoa. And, he dropped it last before the official album drop. I think the plan would have worked if his album didn't get leaked before the cycle had a chance to unfold.

And, yeah, Jay-Z isn't my particularly favorite person either, but his new album is actually quite good with really quality songs, and not generic trap/mumble rap that's coming out nowadays, like The Story of OJ, Smile, Moonlight, etc. It had a really chill, unique old school vibe to it that I really enjoyed.

And don't forget the Jay-Z/ Linkin Park collaboration they did back in the day! That was some good stuff!

I'm not sure what I think about it actually. It's hard to say because I don't know all the facts about whether he sought help or was having any at the time, his sobriety at the time, the pressure on him etc. I can see your point and it is horrible to leave behind 6 kids and a wife, especially knowing the pain of having a friend commit suicide, so fair enough.

I haven't really cared that much for LP or what they did since I was into them a while ago, but it might have been that they wanted to get into pop music because they liked the sound. Of course, it might have also been because they actually were selling out. Who knows?

Yeah, I see what you mean about Tyler too. 

Boy, I don't think I've not cared so much about a controversy since the Vocal Burnout fiasco, which is sing a lot, since the lot of these have the same amount  of fuck given between them that I gave to the Vocal Burnout argument. But oh well, posts are slow lately, may as well discuss.

1. That sucks I guess. Genre doesn't really matter, as long as the noise is good. I never really found any Linkin Park songs I liked, so a change in sound is something I never really gave a shit about. It sucks that he died I guess. Suicide can really rarely be something blamed on the person's morals. I don't think it was selfish, but it sure wasn't a good thing that happened. I can't claim to know what was going on. But tbh if I had 6 kids I'd probably kill myself too.

2. Honestly, I don't even know why this is a concern. People making diss tracks have been threatening to rape each other for years and nobody's given a damn. I guess prison-style hate rape makes it not gay? Bullshit, it's a very gay thing to do. I seriously doubt, if he's really been trolling all this time, that he actually gives a shit either. YouTube commenters can't physically hurt you, and he's semi-famous and doing well for himself, plus publicity. I don't give a shit about who he wants to fuck since I don't listen to him either, and I don't particularly care if it's a stunt since I'm literally forcing myself to pay attention to it now.

3. So he sang about OJ. Juice's a complex and batshit insane dude whose very mention makes people uncomfortable because of the racial charge, so it'it's only natural the video and lyrics are complex and batshit insane and make people uncomfortable because of the racial charge. It's a good representation. Can I speak to the intention of this shit? No. In the paraphrased words of IDubbbz, "I can't call you a racist, because I dunno what's in here, or what's in here". That's something a lot more people should get to realize. If you're confident in your own ideology, simply hearing a song or watching a video shouldn't matter to you. "This makes White people uncomfortable" is kind of an ignorant thing to say on behalf of White people.

Well, I appreciate your enthusiasm, I guess.

1. Suicide is never a good thing unless you're a pedophile, serial rapist, or some equally bad person. ?Then again, I feel that dooming 6 children without a father for the rest of their lives is kind of harsh.

2. I see you're not that interested in this topic, so I don't think I can add any insight to this one, except that it would've been hilarious at the end of the album he had an untitled 10 second track and he just utters the words 'no homo'.

3. I agree with your statements on this one. Jay-Z is a complex human being, and the music video and lyrics shouldn't be scrutinized for the content. I interpreted the song as no matter what you do, you're 'still nigga'. But, I read somewhere that it was actually about taking your finances and being smart with them, hence the whole verse about him buying the artwork for 1 million, and a few laters that shit worth 8 million. I think the pendulum swings both ways with this one.

It's actually quite interesting to look out how gay prison rape is. In all the prison documentaries they make it very clear it's not rape, and their bitch is just becoming a woman, which is why the "man" then takes care of him and less violence is done to them. I mean, that boundary has existed for ages, even back when the Romans thought that to fuck a guy was fine but to be "sexually submissive" to a guy was immoral.

I'm going to take the controversial stance of not really caring about any of these things.

Well, I can understand that. It doesn't hold any particularly demanding or opinionated controversies. Just some things I thought were interesting.

Yet you posted in this thread. Pffh, failure, your apathy is rejected.

Chester Bennington was a shitty person for killing himself with six kids at home and I ope his hanging was drawn out,  Tyler the Creator's sexuality is probably just on a spectrum like everyone though I'd say it's fairly obvious he's just doing it for attention rather than legitimately expressing his sexuality with his art form, Jay-Z's over-rated to fuck and I'm not bothered. Didn't know the Mountain Goats had a knew album, been hooked on them ever since No Children was on that one episode of Moral Orel and they're amazing.

But chemicals in Chester's brain made him feel sad. How can a person be expected to care about their family when sad?

And what was he supposed to do...seek treatment? Please, he was only one of the highest paid singers on the world. He probably just wanted to save his thirty million.

He probably did his band members a favor by committing suicide on the day a single dropped, and boosting album sales through the roof, as what happens when artists die (see David Bowie and Prince).

And exactly, Tyler pulled this publicity stunt and boosts his album sales, but that leak really ruined his plans. It wasn't even that great of an album, with just a couple of decent bangers.

And the Mountain Goats are the beez kneez boi. Their new album is chock full of amazing music and storytelling, they're extremely under rated. I loved the album about wrestling, it was hilarious (forgot the name of it though).

Respect level heightened.

Don't care about his band members particularly, I don't like their music.

Me neither, but I promote any rock band that does well. It's good for the genre as a whole, mixing itself with the mainstream is always great exposure.

I gave the Mountain Goats a listen and they're pretty good. Reminds me of 'Fire Coming out of the Monkey's Head' by Gorillaz.

Their entire album is a cohesive narrative about Goths, as a subculture. It's brilliantly interesting and well put together.

The Gorillaz on the other hand, used to be good, but nowadays their production is sloppy and they don't know how to handle features. Still a good band, but they're declining in quality.

1. Really when they first announced the singer’s name and kept going on about the tragedy of his suicide, I was like who? Wasn’t even aware Linkin Park was still relevant today since the last time I remember them being in the spotlight was sometime in the early 2000s.

Anyway, I’m not really seeing any controversy to this one though. Just one of the many musicians that has popped their cork.

As far as his kids are concerned, well I’m sure they got millions of dollars to get over it. More than can be said of the six kids spawned with three different women by some ghetto deadbeat dad that just took off and left all of them.

2. Yeah he’s probably done some gay shit, but he’s also probably doing this for attention too. Tends to be par for course with those type and there’s like this whole new generation of rappers that are going around wearing dressing, saying they’re gay, etc. Amusingly, it’s pissing off some of the old school rappers who have pretty strong feelings against all that stuff.

Honestly though a lot of rap has a bunch of gay shit in it. A lot of lyrics are just going on about making their enemies suck their dick, fucking them in the ass, making them into a bitch via the whole prison rape thing, etc. I mean shit is just gay, doesn’t matter if you’re the fucker or the fuckee.

Here, if you want a laugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCdGpUKx87A

3. The cartoon video. Yeah the whole thing is basically saying no matter what you do, you’re always going to be seen as a nigger by society. (At least in white society) So the best thing you can do to make yourself truely free is invest your money wisely so you have financial independence and don’t have to listen to the white man.

But what JayZ is saying really isn’t new. Honestly it’s not even that great of a song. (But I always thought JayZ sucked anyway) It’s just rarer nowadays I suppose, since today’s rappers are mainly going on about spending all your money at the club, getting drunk/high all day, and fucking a bunch of slutty bitches (or dudes apparently).

This actually ties in with the old school rappers which during the late 80s-early 90s there were more rappers doing the whole “message” or afrocentric world view/black power lyrics.

Public Enemy was probably the most popular of them, though there were a lot of other rappers going on about black people needing to get their shit together, etc. Then it started getting more into the whole gangsta rap thing, but even that still had “the message” when you had someone like Ice Cube rapping and it wasn’t just about “capping niggas and fucking da hoes”

But like with anything, rap in general got absorbed by the mainstream and watered down.

In any case, I got the message, but since I’m not black, I’m not likely to really care about it. Indeed when I saw the video I just sort of thought “Wow, they really did a good job of making it look like those old Warner Brothers cartoons from the 1930s that I found pretty funny when I was kid!”

Chester's Wife