Rishire Writes

With the advent of social media, there’s basically no such thing as a secret. Once it’s on the internet, it’s there forever. Some people walk on thin ice when it comes to posting things to social media, but others remain true to the selves they want to portray – whether or not that’s their real self is not for me to assume. Of course, this conversation is centered around celebrities, because truly no one cares about what I ate for breakfast (nothing) or who I’m dating (no one). I understand why people are so interested in the personal lives of celebrities. I’m a fan. I own a computer. I engage in casual stalking once in a while. I get it, but as a student of a number of these celebrities, I am able to separate my personal feelings about their personal lives and my thoughts on their work, be it their music, their art, or their performances. I have been taught that there is a difference between a celebrity’s personal package and their professional one.

Surely the lines can be blurred as the internet opens the door to just about everyone’s houses and apartment buildings (I’m looking at you, Google Earth), but the difference between the packages is very real. Using R. Kelly as an example, his personal package was a disaster when he was caught peeing on a minor (truth be told, I don’t know much about the story, and I refuse to research it for the sake of this post. Sorry not sorry!). This egregious indiscretion did not change his silky smooth voice. He could still sing like the R. Kelly he was before he peed on a girl. Just as Chris Brown was just as talented after he beat up Rihanna as he was before. I’m not trying to excuse their behavior, I’m merely trying to defend their talent and the appreciation of their talent. It’s not fair to look down on someone for liking the music of a bad person. Deep down, aren’t we all kind of bad people? I admit, I’m a pretty bad person; it’s probably what makes me so funny – or so I’ve been told. Go ahead and hate the player, but don’t hate that they’re killing the game. It’s alright to admit that Justin Bieber has a few good songs. It’s also alright to dislike him immensely but still rock out to “Baby” on the daily. As Selena Gomez said, “The heart wants what it wants,” and so do the ears!