[1]After being targeted for using offensive lyrics and objectifying women in his songs, rapper Honey Singh, recently posted on Twitter, “My past was a wrong choice, but now I deliver completely different music.”
While the rapper denies singing any of the songs he is being blamed for, his Twitter handle tells a completely different story where he agrees that he may have made some mistakes in the past. Ironically, the songs for which he is being condemned now are the same ones which made him popular years ago. Does it mean that profanity is an easy way to popularity?
Nishant Kurup, a college student and member of the music band, The Uncertainty Principle, thinks that profanity is certainly an easy way to attract people. “It’s something that mostly clicks with the masses. But is it right to do that? I don’t think so. Ethically, I would not do that ever. It’s easy to grab attention through profane lyrics but it’s not easy to sustain that attention for long if you don’t know how to be good as an artiste,” he says.
For Siby Mathew, rhythm guitarist with the band The Urban EarlyMen, titles that have swear words often raise curiosity but it doesn’t help you get anywhere. Although he would want to steer clear of cuss words, he doesn’t blame Honey Singh much and says, “It’s the talent that helps you maintain the popularity in the long run. Five years ago when Honey Singh had started out, he never really made an effort to circulate the songs in question. But still he got famous. So it is his music that got him this far.”
“As artistes, we should be given freedom to express. The songs we are talking about were completely underground. We can’t even prove that they are his compositions. Also the mere usage of vulgar words can never make you famous. It’s your talent that wins you appreciation,” says 22-year-old independent musician Jayant Parashar.
However, not everyone is that accepting. Jasleen Royal, a young musician from Hindu
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/honeys1jpg-693