Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Blurryface’ Goes Platinum • Page 2

I've always taken that particular lyric to be a response to criticism - for as long as I've listened to them, I've seen people make fun of them for 'trying to rap' (this going back to like 2010, 2011). Their response (in interviews as well as their songs) has been, 'well, okay - then don't call it rap if you think it isn't.' I've taken their attitude to be a lot like Enter Shikari's (who - every show - say they're breaking out of music's 'worthless labels' or something, and sometimes rap and sometimes don't) - they do a lot of stuff in their music, not just one thing. This is especially true when you take thir full doscography, where there are piano ballods and spoken word songs and stuff without any rapping at all. Tyler isn't a rapper - he's the frontman of a band who happens to rap.

 

I was aware that Tyler did have some terrible things to say about SCOTUS. I was pretty upset and it certainly is a red flag. There is no way around that.
I'm not certain I ever picked up that they were doing anything racial or belittling hip-hop. I also don't think that they are using mental illness in a way that is damaging. Plenty of bands deal with the issue as the focal point of their music. It personally resonated strongly with me. They are the only band I have a tattoo of due to how much Vessel helped me through a really rough patch. Thank you for bringing all of that stuff up, though. It is always good to look at things I have biases towards with a critical eye. I will make sure to pay more attention to those points in the future (and hope I don't start to see them!)

 

Yeah, I think this was definitely already platinum, but now it's platinum-SELLING. Even cooler.

 

Whether or not twenty one pilots is considered rap is subjective. I've heard what Tyler does and it has never occurred to me to call it rap. I think the music style behind the vocal track has an influence on whether it can be considered rap and the song structure as well. For example, I don't even consider most of Drake's new stuff to be rap.

 

I don't think anyone confuses Twenty One Pilots with "hip hop culture"...

 

idk that it matters if they consider themselves part of hip hop culture or not. their choice to include aspects of rap into their music and simultaneously not at least show respect/appreciation for the art form's roots/culture is troubling.

I also know more than one fan of theirs who uses 21p music as a way to discredit other rappers because, in the opinions of these fans, 21p has more "substance". So, even if they aren't considered part of the culture, they are still being used as a way to belittle the culture while they profit off of it with their art.

 

So one poster is blaming Tyler and Josh for what their family/friends say, now we're blaming Tyler and Josh for what "more than one fan of theirs" says.

No offense, but these posts are stupid.

Also, I actually saw Tyler's statement on not having a statement on the SCOTUS decision. He wrote "I dislike seeing artists/bands/peers use the lovewins news to sell singles and t-shirts, so I shut up."

You guys are really, really reaching here with some ignorant claims.

'Oh my god, he didn't speak out about the Orlando shooting, the Dallas Shooting, the black men getting killed. He must be a total prick.'

 

This guy is joking right? This band's reputation is about as clean as it can get. Don't look for things that aren't there. Not making a statement on something should not infer anything.

 

Their reputation is hardly "squeaky clean", but I'm just citing incidents that riled up their fanbase-- these weren't people looking for things that weren't there, this was the "skeleton clique" holding the band accountable. Just google "tyler joseph gay burden" to see fans bashing the band's SCOTUS response for alleged veiled homophobia.

It's up to individuals to decide how much water these criticisms hold, but you shouldn't outright deny the fact that the band has been criticized for racial/homophobic/transphobic incidents multiple times.

 

I'm not saying anything except that their attitude toward hip hop, which I have seen reflected in some of their fans, is troubling given that they borrow elements of hip hop for their own music.

Everything else has been said by another poster. I don't know enough about their stances on any social issues to say one way or another. I'm not involved in that.

 

One of the dumbest posts on this site.

 

You can take it or leave it, I'm just reiterating what I've heard from fans of the band in person, on twitter/tumblr/reddit etc. Again, as I said in the post you quoted, "I don't necessarily agree with all of the drama/incidents..." but "anyone slightly critical of the band was drowned out/attacked by their rabid fans".

I'm not saying don't listen to the band, or don't like the band, or whatever. Just be critical of the media you're consuming and be aware of what other people (fans of the band) are saying.

 

I am a huge fan of this band, and pretty involved in their online presence, and wholly unaware that any of these things were regarded as any sort of a big deal. A few select individuals trying to make somethings out of nothings certainly does not represent an entire fanbase.

 

It certainly seems to be reaching.

There are so many bands who do so much stupid shit. I completely, totally get not liking this band - I do, but it's not like tastes are universal. Whenever someone says they just don't get this band, I understand, because there are huge bands I don't 'get' either. But to lump them in with the bands that really ARE problematic seems unfair, at best. No one goes through life without having friends and family members say stupid stuff, and no one says exactly the right thing in response to world events. And there are tons of bands who say their music is better than other people's. None of the complaints seem to have much weight behind them, for me.

 

Every band - like every anything - has people who are jerks. Because of what they talk about (the mental illness, insecurity, etc), there are people I've seen that have talked about the band 'saving their lives' and all that. I can totally see that fanbase going crazy and creating issues and not listening to voices from people who don't just adore the band.

 

These guys are so far from "Problematic".

Besides that, well deserved, & the hits are gonna keep coming.

 

I totally agree with being critical of the media you consume, but with something as serious as racism, sexism and homophobia, it's really not fair to take baseless accusations, make a laundry list of small transgressions and then say "just be aware of the media you consume." That's not making anyone aware of anything, that's spreading rumors. All we have to go on to believe that these accusations aren't as baseless as they seem is one poster's word and apparently the words of fans. Old, since deleted tweets? Really? So we're going to hold people accountable now for something someone might as well have written up on MS paint and pasted Tyler's profile picture over? And we're going to hold them accountable for stuff they didn't say, but somebody they know did? Man, I don't even like this band and that sounds stupid as fuck.

 

Everyone these days tries so hard to defend their dislike of certain artists by finding things that are "problematic" about them. Because it's fun I guess? But come on guys, it's okay to just not like a band. It's even more okay to not like this band because their music is a steaming pile of hot garbage lol

 

Lol

 

Yes?

 

So basically... nothing?

Literally none of that is "something problematic every couple weeks."

"Their family members might be assholes" is not a valid argument to make ever.

 

I think he's laughing because you must not have listened to many albums last year.

 

Anyway, well-deserved. Album is fantastic.

 

I listened to over 250, thanks.

There's this thing called, like, you know, opinions....look it up.

 

And even if I hadn't listened to many albums last year, who cares? That doesn't in any way change the validity of this being the worst one I heard. I truly thought this was unsustainable garbage, sorry that you're so offended by a stranger's opinion on the internet.