Are Haitian artists too sensitive when it comes to online criticism?

“I wish I could find these guys and kick their ass” a quote by American Rap Industry rapper 50 cent in this month’s September 21st issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. What made the rapper so upset to make such a bold statement? He was referring to the Internet bashing he read on YouTube about his recent album release. The rapper admits to reading the viewers comments religiously. There is no exception when it comes to Haitian artists. They, too, are obsessed with reading internet bashing even though they’re not subjected to a mere fraction of brutal criticisms that other countless industry artists endure. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean they are any less unhappy about it. Some may call it marketing research or just keeping up with their viewers regardless of what they want to label it as, it does become an obsession at a point where some have gone out of there way to lash back to even their fellow artists.

The Internet has created a great medium and source of promotion for many artists who can now showcase their music to the world with just one click away and get instant feedback; whereas, the days of radio and television set limits. Is it fair for a viewer to criticize or bluntly critique an artist in a public domain? Sure it is! After all they are the ones buying the albums and the customer’s always right… right? But some times the criticism holds no merit and that’s when personal vendettas come in play. The artists are very aware of that, maybe too aware and some of them have yet to learn how to differentiate constructive criticism from personal attacks.

What some of our HMI artists had to say…..

Darbens of Alez: Criticism helps an artist advance. If somebody says Darbens sounds like Gracia Delva and he needs to improve by finding his own essence, that’s fine. However, sometimes people are critiquing our personal lives. Even our relationships are criticized. Even if I was dating two women as long as they accept it that way, what is it to anybody else?
Madman JP: I welcome criticisms as long as it’s done constructively and respectfully. I want to improve and satisfy the public so criticism helps in doing that. I have $500 for anybody who is willing to show me who Inkonu is.

Katalog Gabel: If the criticism is good advice I’ll take it. However, if it isn’t, it’ll just go in one ear and out the other. Some people, nothing you do is ever good enough for them and that’s very common in the Haitian culture.

Alan Cave: I think some of these criticisms should be monitored by the owners of the websites. Some people come on in good faith and give good criticism but there are those who medal in the artists personal lives with things that have nothing to do with the art. It’s not right when they do that. Some of them will bash a band not because the band is no good but only because they love the opposite band and try to make their favorite band look good by putting the other down. Don’t get me wrong there are those people who don’t like a particular band because it’s not their taste but that doesn’t mean the band is no good and some times I wish they would just say it’s not their taste.

Some artists take everything to heart which opens them to bashing while others just take where they feel needs improvement, and make the necessary changes. I personally feel some people on the net will push an artists’ buttons because they know they will get a reaction.

The positive side of it is it means some not favorable people are taking notice into your work. They devote their spare time to criticize your work which may raise interest to those who didn’t know of your mere existence thus bringing you a larger audience, but not everybody has the same taste.

The bad scenario about it is some of these people can be unfair and if they’re persuasive enough they can actually convince others of what they’re saying to be the truth.

How to deal with it? Well, take the bashing for what it is. Don’t read only the bashing. There are those out there with good intentions and their criticism can actually help an artists better their craft.

 

© Copyright Cheyna Pierre & Opa Mizik