On July 29th, Cardi B had a drink thrown at her while performing onstage. The rapper threw her microphone at the alleged assailant in response. The attack, which was caught on camera, has since become a meme all across social media sites like TikTok.
All of this is just the most recent in an increasing trend of assaulting artists while they perform onstage. Harry Styles, Steve Lacey, Ava Max, Bebe Rexha, P!nk, Lil Nas X, and dozens of other singers, rappers, and musicians have recently had fans throw things at them while they perform onstage.
It’s hard to tell the exact reasoning for this behavior, but one possible motive is a desire to go viral. Concerts are highly public experiences with high-profile celebrities and some people see that as an opportunity to make themselves known (or rather, infamous).
For other ‘fans,’ it can feel like a form of entitlement. Because they paid an exorbitant amount of money to attend a concert, they think that means they have the right to behave however they want. Musician Mitski was harassed by her own fans after she asked that they not film her shows in order to be more present in the experience.
Another potential reason for this kind of egregious behavior is a longing to force an interaction between the individual and the artist. Some fans will do anything to be noticed by their faves, even if it harms them or the artist, and when you’re in a crowd of thousands, some people are willing to do just that. It doesn’t help that years of social isolation due to COVID means that many younger people are only just now experiencing their first concerts and music festivals, meaning they may not yet understand the etiquette involved.
This behavior is especially bad for local artists who don’t have the resources of A-list performers with massive security teams. Recently, a Colorado musician who was being stalked and harassed by a “fan” through social media saw her case make its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but not before she was forced to abandon her music career altogether.
This type of entitled, abusive behavior has always been present in the parasocial relationships between artists and fans. However, the rise of social media has heightened fan expectations of those parasocial relationships and expanded the ways in which fans can and will bridge the divide.
What’s the harm in making memes?
The problem with meme culture, especially “memeing” attacks against artists, is that it’s escalating the antics. By giving these attackers the attention they deserve, memes encourage them and others to participate in the same behavior. It also plays down the seriousness of these attacks by making them seem funny. It’s important to remember that some artists have been injured in these attacks, Bebe Rehxa had to get stitches after a “fan” hit her with a phone.
The worst part is how the entertainment industry is arguably embracing this trend. The microphone Cardi B threw has reportedly now sold for $100,000, which will reportedly go to two charities, Friendship Circle Las Vegas and the Wounded Warrior Project. The money going to charity is a good thing, but it also plays into the virality of the attack.
At the end of the day, artists shouldn’t have to perform while surrounded by a baseball pitching net and fans should know better than to act like toddlers throwing things to get attention.
(featured image: Dave J Hogan/Jo Hale/Redferns/Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Capture Studio Group/Getty Images)
