June 18, 2020.
By Connor Norris
A platform is everything. It’s a springboard that can launch your regular Joe-Schmoe onto the cover of magazines run by content-craving lunatics… like TMZ or Daily Mail. Especially in this present state of the media and social media in 2020, content is the gasoline that fuels the internet. And in order to have content, it is only natural that some people will have to stand out among others. However, there are many people who shouldn’t stand out… but do.
Take any of the Kardashians, an easy example. These people aren’t particularly funny or full of talent, but we, as weirdly-attached humans, need to watch something or someone. In the Kardashians’ case, there is an unbelievable amount of people who will watch Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie, and Kendall fumble around their homes, take trips to the grocery store, and simply exist. I suppose this comes from a similar place as the theme of The Truman Show. If it’s there, we’ll watch it. We’ll create some sort of connection to these people. And no matter how annoying they get, we’ll keep them around like an annoying sibling… because the connection is already there. And many people can’t burn unnecessary bridges that easily. You don’t have to look that hard to find a miserable relationship -- be it marriage or just dating -- that is bottled in by the fear of losing someone close to you… even if that someone is utterly unbearable. So maybe the aforementioned argument is your answer to “Why are the Kardashian’s famous?” But there is also the case of James Corden when it comes to people with platforms.
James Corden. I like him, and I really do hate to use him in the same train car of thought as the Kardashians because he isn’t a talentless act. He has done work writing, acting, and performing to get where he is today. However, my point in mentioning him when demonstrating the effectiveness of a platform is that in addition to ridiculous reality television shows, there are also good shows that require acting. And as any Darwinist society works, there are some actors that we see more than others. And referring back to the previous paragraph, people build metaphysical bonds with people they have never met. It takes a James Corden, someone with a platform who is relatable yet not talentless, to bring these actors into the light in order to satisfy the desires of a society who craves more and more from the actors and athletes who they see all the time.
Once these fame has reached these people and they have a legitimate base who is interested in what they are doing from day to day, it’s pretty hard to shake the fame. Cases of shook fame generally only come in the form of childhood stars and one-hit wonders; Just ask Jonathan Lipnicki or Psy. Now, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” was an unarguable smash hit. And Jerry Maguire and the Stuart Little movies made Lipnicki a temporary household name. The difference between the fame of these two people is the potential longevity of their fame. Psy, no matter how catchy his next songs were, was very unlikely to live up to the hype of a song that was the first to gain over one billion (with a ‘b’) YouTube views. It was a goddamn spectacle. If you haven’t seen the video, or it’s been a long time since you have watched, I would recommend it; it hasn’t gotten any duller. On the other hand, with golden-haired childhood hero Jonathan Lipnicki, there was potential to do even more with the fame he gained. The kid could have squeezed every last drop of the platform he had in order to stay on top. Granted, I’m not saying this is an honorable (or even good) thing to do. However, some people live by the saying: “when the cash drops, the fun stops.” And this saying can mean many things. It can be motivation for some to keep their head down and work, work, work so they can rake in money to have fun. This is in good spirits. But some people take the saying more seriously. An example would be the hypothetical situation in which Jonathan Lipnicki exploited his fame to make Alvin and the Chipmunks-esque songs, capitalizing on his position and his platform. In this hypothetical world, Lipnicki could double down on this music route, sign a record deal with some large record company (Sony, Universal, blah blah blah) and then become Justin Bieber before Justin Bieber.
Considering Jonathan Lipnicki’s remarks now where he looks back at his childhood fame with somber feelings towards anxiety and bullying, I don’t think he was cut out for the world that I previously described. But on second thought, who is? (Almost) all of the childhood actors reflect a similar motif every single cycle they come around: the dramatic fall of America’s once sweethearts. Amanda Bynes, Lindsey Lohan, Bella Thorne, Macaulay Culkin… the list is longer. All of these people spiraled downward in the public eye. However, one may question that if a fall is bound to happen, what’s wrong with trying to climb higher (and grab more bills)?
And here is where we arrive at Danielle Bregoli, AKA Bhad Bhabie, AKA “Cash me ousside girl.” Bregoli became an internet sensation shortly after she went on Dr. Phil concerning her concerning behavior at home. Her mother wanted to bring her in to Dr. Phil to talk some sense into her… The result was one of the internet’s most prominent memes. No need to dive deeper into the situation by describing it in text… just watch the video. After Bregoli quickly became an online enigma, she wasn’t slow to respond and capitalize on this fortunate(?) situation. First, her social media pages racked up millions of followers eager to see more of her personality. But next, she doubled down and turned to what many of today’s celebrities turn to when they become famous: music. Bregoli soon became “Bhad Bhabie,” a rapper whose music reflected her outgoing personality as seen all over the internet.
And it didn’t matter if she didn’t have one rhythmic bone in her body. Once you’re popular on the internet, the build-it-and-they-will-come mentality applies. We’ve seen it with Woah Vicky, Lil Tay, Tana Mongeau, Jake Paul, … unbelievable personalities that turn to music because why not. Unlike Macaulay Culkin and Amanda Bynes, these artists seemingly don’t hide their craziness; in fact, they profit from it. And while it is most likely chaos for their mental health (see Danielle Bregoli’s entrance into rehab for addiction to prescription pills at age 17 or Lil Tay’s disappearance from social media after her parents discovered her content), the internet personalities do hold at least one favorable quality: capitalizing on timely opportunities. Music is the easy route to go if you’ve quickly become an internet sensation. An even easier way to secure that fame? Make your music even more ridiculous than the stunts that propelled you into the spotlight into the first place.
Let’s consider Tekashi 6ix9ine… yes, a risqué name for a risqué character. Please take this time to look at a photo of the man. Beyond the initial woah reaction, there is a level of admiration somewhere in his rise to fame. As J Cole once put in an interview, “He’s willing to do whatever, say whatever, because he wants it that bad… You have to kind of respect [6ix9ine] because he knows what he’s doing.” 6ix9ine’s appearance will grab almost any consumer of content that may stumble across his image. And suppose that this consumer is then so curious to search 6ix9ine’s music on a streaming platform… his music is even as (if not more) ridiculous as his appearance. And that is what latches on to audiences. That guy? Is something to talk about.
And that is all there is. Content to talk about. Pushing the envelope so far beyond a point of any return to how it was before. For some, that is what it takes. There is, however, a sane way of using your platform to boost your music career. And it has been done before. Take Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things. The kid became a cute character that fans adored on the hit Netflix show, and bam, right after his fame hit, he launched his indie band, Calpurnia, and they were very well-received. They played the Shaky Knees festival and Governor’s Ball, they toured the world. In fact, I would go as far to say that Wolfhard’s music endeavor’s have propelled his career in general, be it acting and now directing and producing creative content. He has built a steady, loyal, and most importantly, non-toxic following that genuinely is interested in consuming his work because he has delivered honest material in the past. Other examples of this positive pathway include Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino (LOVE that guy) and Ariana Grande.
And so there it is. It’s a rough and rowdy world, and there will always be extremes. Not to say these extremes are always socially or politically correct, but they’re almost always entertaining in some way or another. And those that recognize this may profit (monetarily) off of it… their sanity is another story. But as long as social media and the entertainment industry possess a stronghold in our society, money to music will be a motif that celebrities-turned-artists will experience at their own risk.