iiM calling it "The Indie Artist Syndrome" for now...iiM sure there's some other clever name for it, but that's all iiGot right now. "What is "The Indie Artist Syndrome"(IAS)?" you might be
axskin...
iiLike to describe IAS as a syndrome that many independent, and so called 'real' artists (and their fans) experience. You may say that this artist has a "cult following", meaning a very small group of very dedicated followers.
Think "The Boondocks"...this show has a cult following, you and iiWatch it, and we love the very Gangstaliciousness and Thugnificence of it all. We repeatedly watch the show for every "nigga" quotable Aaron McGruder can squeeze into those 22-minutes just to go back and share them with our friends the next day.
However true this all is for us,
the world is not up on The Boondocks. It's by far the best adult-oriented cartoon on television, but it's no "Simpsons". No, The Boondocks hasn't reached international success and notereity, it hasn't won any Emmys (
not for lack of trying), and, allegedly, Season 3 was the last season of the show Despite all of this, those who love The Boondocks are die-hard fans who will watch every episode over and over just so they can tell you
exactly how many F-bombs Riley dropped in that hotel room on that British guy in "The Funraiser" episode...
This, sons and daughters, is a
cult following...Complete with tradition, ritual, dress, language, and other tribal attributes...All which were started within the group and inspired by one focal point. That focal point being, the expression of ideas that the entire tribe upholds, but one that only the Artist can express with just enough eloquence that the tribe feels like it's voice is being heard, as Aaron McGruder does with the Boondocks. The cult rally's around this point, which, in the case of IAS, can be both a gift and a curse.
The gift is a cult following means fans who "get it". iiMean really get it. They feel as if they're lives are somehow destined to be intertwined with that of the Artist. The first time they heard the cult artist, it changed their lives. It was like they had been missing something all along. just drifting aimlessly through life until a grand wonder of magic and music came along to redeem their ears;
"This song just speaks to me"
Sound familiar? There's nothing like that first rush and a newly indoctrinated tribe member will spend every moment thereafter in constant search of themselves within the context of the artist's lifestyle and music. A relationship is born! And what a sweet relationship it will be because the cult artist does something that the mainstream or so-called 'commecial' artist never does...The cult artist listens to their fans (tribe). The cult artist takes cue to what the people who appreciate their art are doing...A bond so tight that it can become a curse.
The curse is that the fan (tribe) feel such a strong stake in an artists success...And many times don't want them to go commercial, fearing the artist would lose some of their 'realness' along the way. While this is a valid fear, the emotion is yet another expression of the groups tribalism. A tribe never wants to accept new members (even if it's millions) into the tribe at the expense of it's ways, mores, traditions, norms, dress, speech, etc. The commercial success of a cult artist all but rids the crucial elusivity once enjoyed by that artist's tribe. And who would rather be 'kinda liked' by millions when you can be
consistently loved, adored, admired, sought out, and celebrated by thousands?
The tribe feels so involved with the success of the artists, that they sometimes fear that they would actually have to break free from the comforts that being a part of a tribe offers, and may one day actually have to
defend their favorite artist to someone who, before they heard the smash hit being played on the radio, had no idea who this artist was, let alone any idea of the 'message' in the music. Quite frankly, to a tribe member, it's offensive, and belittling of the artist's true talent, when everyone knows they were so much better "before they got big" anyway.
As an artist, iiM all about being real and, dare iiSay, artistic when approaching an artistic project. As iiState that opinion, iiMust also say that iiBelieve that most problems we face stem from one or both of these:
1) lack of communication
and/or
2) a conflict in objectives.
Everyone has their own objective in life, and, at times, someone else's objectives may be different from your own, or different from what you believe they
should or
could be doing.
This applies no matter how much we feel like we really know the artists that we listen to, no matter how much we think they would be "like, so cool to chill with". In any case, we all must stick to our objectives, and, if an artist's objective is to achieve international fame and commercial success, they will, at some point, have to start doing something different from what they did to become an artist with a cult (small, but dedicated) following. Plain and simple.
Is this a bad change? Or a necessary maturation? Is this selling out? Or buying in?Whether we, as fans (tribe members), believe the course our favorite artist takes to achieve their objectives was good or bad, right or wrong, real or fake, they still achieved their own objectives. That's more than a lot of us can say as we criticize them for doing so. More than likely, they take serious strides at broadening a fanbase for, and with inspiration from the original members of the tribe. They do this in an attempt to publicize and normalize the tribe's way of life, and maybe even make it 'cool' to the rest of the world. In a way we can think of what they do for us as a tribute to the lives we live, which include supporting our favorite music before it's 'cool' because it's just who we are.
As members of the tribe, it is time for us to just let it go...and let our artists be who they want to be...as much as they want to be it...no hard feelings...that goes for the artists too...shake the syndrome.
-nef
Nefertiti and the nefTUNES is the International inspiration known as Revolution red & the world's #1 Acoustic Gangsterism artist. Her songs blend Hip-Hop, Reggae, Rock, Jazz, and Soul into an enchanting fusion that is only exceeded by her natural gifts of stage presence and performance...
Adria P. is "a writer among other things...dancer, occasional artist, lover of life. Someone who appreciates every blessing given and the future ones to come, but also someone with a blunt and fierce will that helps shape my reality. I'll debate politics, cuss you out and give you a hug at the end lol...random things like that. I guess most of all...I am a vessel, someone who is an advocate of people recognizing their own voice, no matter what stage it's in...whether it's cloaked in full bodied courage or just coming into fruition...". 
