Recently, many singers and rappers have spoken out on political issues dominating the nation. These celebrities often take their stances to social media and their music, which can result in negative outcomes such as controversy and false propaganda. As such, artists should not be involving themselves in politics publicly.

Rapper Kanye West has been one of the most outspoken musical artists. Starting just after the 2016 presidential elections, West openly supported Donald Trump and claimed that he would run for president in the 2020 elections. It is unclear whether he will follow through with this presidential bid, but it still caused a huge, unnecessary distraction during the elections. He continues to voice his political opinions on Twitter.

Many artists have diehard fans who listen to and regurgitate everything that they say. Many young fans can become brainwashed by these singers, causing them to not think for themselves and blindly follow celebrities. Artists can use their wealth and fame to influence the population, stopping many voters from thinking for themselves.

Moreover, many artists spread their influence over social media, where often they have millions of followers. These sites have no way to verify the information being spread, so the opinions can often be very biased or even based on false information.

In one case, Kanye West tweeted about a very controversial topic: “We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment.” The 13th amendment is the amendment passed by Abraham Lincoln that abolished slavery. Later on, he clarified that he actually wanted to make positive reforms to it, not abolish it. In this incident, by speaking his political opinions through Twitter, he caused outbursts across the internet, spreading contentious opinions while hurting his own reputation at the same time.

Artists across the world have been speaking up about politics, but by doing so, they are hurting others more than they are helping them. Voters have the ability to think for themselves, and celebrities shouldn’t be getting involved in issues that don’t directly pertain to them.