Is There Still Any Room Left For Fans Of Female Rap In a Crowd Full Of STANs?
Updated: May 9
STAN CULTURE IS ALIENATING FEMALE RAP FANS
Music fans have embraced the term STAN every since Eminem dropped his highly-acclaimed hit song, STAN, in October of 2000. In the music video, Stanley "STAN" Mitchell is depicted as an obsessed Eminem fan who eventually kills himself and pregnant girlfriend over the belief that his fave rapper ignored his fan mail. Eminem said it best when he rapped, "You got some issues, Stan, I think you need some counselin."
Even though the music video was dark, fans adopted the term and started using it in a light-hearted way to describe how much they loved their fave artists.
STalker + FAN = STAN
Today, there is nothing "light-hearted" about a STAN. Who knew that 20 years later, STAN Culture would not only still be a thing but essentially ruining...oops, I mean running female rap. Even though Eminem introduced the term "STAN" to Hip Hop, STAN Culture has attached itself to female rap in the most toxic way ever.
What are STANs in 2020? They are hypersensitive, co-dependent internet bullies who justify leaking numbers, addresses, threats, and taking down social media pages, all because they do not like what was said about their fave.
While STAN culture has essentially been the music culture for several years now, its toxic influence on female rap has occurred within the past three years. STANs are alienating FANs by their obsessive need to convert everyone into idol worshippers. Being a fan of many different artists as possible without harassment does not seem to be an option in the current state of female rap.
Some wonder, in 2021 and beyond, will there still be any room left for regular-degular fans of female rap in a crowd full of STANs?
MALE RAPPERS CULTIVATE FANS, FEMALE RAPPERS CULTIVATE STANs
In Hip Hop, male rappers cultivate fanbases, while female rappers cultivate STANbases.
It is almost mandatory that once a female rapper establishes a persona, she immediately needs to find STANs. You're nobody in female rap without STANs, DAMMIT!
STANNING via Urban Dictionary:
The act of being overly obsessed with an artist/person/character/etc.
While female rappers may get off on the idol-worship at the beginning of their careers, it appears many are growing exhausted by the intrusive nature of STANs. STANs want to control their fave's music, love life, hires/fires, friends, wardrobe, wigs, weight, pregnancies, etc. They essentially treat these girls as
real-life Barbie Dolls that they can take out of the box, play with, and put back when they are done.
Cardi B recently lashed out at her STANs, Bardi Gang, for crossing personal boundaries by speaking on her marriage and constantly harassing her PR/Creative Director, Patientce Foster. A member of the Bardi Gang tweeted, "it's fans right to drag Offset." Cardi B vehemently disagreed and took to Instagram Live to clapback at her controlling STANs.