There have been complaints from a faction of music lovers that artists today are more outlandish than those of generations prior. It's true that in today's social media-driven culture, access to intimate moments from both loved ones and strangers is as easy as a click of a few buttons, and music artists have utilized this for their benefit. Some have even shaped entire careers off of their social media presence alone.
Yet, if you ask singer and philanthropist Akon, this generation of artists is no worse than those prior. The only difference is that now everything is documented. In a recent interview with HipHopDX, the five-time Grammy Award-nominated singer said he doesn't believe that there's anything wrong with artists acting out on social media because they've "always been controversial."
"Can you imagine if social media was alive in the ’80s and rock music was at its highest peak?" the Love & Hip Hop Hollywood star asked. "Can you imagine the information you would see on tour buses? It would be ridiculous. Trust me, the ’80s were when all those parties were happening in these mansions. If we had cell phones that could document all that stuff, that’s nowhere near what is happening today."
Akon said some provocative moments captured on social media is just "artists being artists." He added, "Artists have been always been wild, always been creative, always been controversial. That’s just who they are. Now the world is seeing what that life actually consists of."