It's something that has been prevalent with any type of media-affiliated activity, mainly music. Doesn't matter what genre someone listens to, there are always negative, and sometimes positive, stereotypes that are attached to anyone who enjoys a certain style of music.

The most basic examples are seen everyday depending on where you reside. Someone blasting some bass-heavy music is seen as a low class or uncivilized person, regardless of the genre of music being played. Like my last piece, this is a very general example, barely scratching the surface.

Delving into it further, are specific examples that have broken down genres into different categories. In this case, take a look at rap. There has always been a clash of styles in rap, as with any genre, where it can be viewed as a different art depending on the artist(s). Nowadays, what is the general stigma attached to rap? Money, swag, girls, clubs, drugs, gangs, etc. Remember when Common was set to perform at the White House?

But that's just the general public. The fans of the genre on the other hand have done their part to break out even more stereotypes than what the public eye sees, and it's based on the artists themselves.

No matter what rapper someone says is their favorite, there will always be some sort of backlash dealing with their content or persona. Like the Common situation, it's nitpicked by others to find coalition between the listener and the artist. There's the hop-ons, fake fans, "smart" fans, elitist fans, "real" fans, and the list goes on.

Take a look at the Rick Ross v. Young Jeezy debates (not even the actual "beef" itself) or Lupe Fiasco's latest two singles Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free) or Bitch Bad.

This is going to be the most condensed overview of the Jeezy v. Ross debates by the fans, that didn't deal with music. What it came down to for a lot of fans was, who was real, mainly focusing on Ross' past as a correctional officer. To some fans, this was an automatic turn-off because he didn't represent himself truthfully. What does this have to do with stereotyping?

Two things. One, the idea of the "real" fans came up more. A "real" fan listened to music that was truthful and/or a reflection of past experiences in an artist's life. A strange concept, because if researched deeply and throughly, a lot of rappers (or any musical artist for that matter) would be considered "fake" since not every song is based off of a truthful experience.

Two, it brought up one of the oddest argument structures when it comes to debating music: who are they outside of music? Remember when debating and critiquing music dealt with, actual debates and critiques of music? Instead of focusing on the music itself (subjective yes, but that's what debates usually are), the backgrounds of the artists were brought up. These "debates," or history lessons, usually lead to who's "real" or "intellectual," which don't have much to do with the the original argument itself.

In terms with Lupe's latest songs, fan labeling was at a all time high. It came down to the argument of the "intellectual" fans against the "dumb" fans in most cases. Didn't like the song? It's because the words were going way over your head. Liked the song? It's because it's Lupe and you're a sheep to his music. Both songs were interesting in their own ways and opinions aside, both held positive messages for the most part. At the same time, from the fan's perspective, they brought out this imaginary war about the songs being bad v. the song being too thought provoking. 

There are exceptions to the rule, there may be listeners who missed the message of the songs completely, didn't understand it and therefore didn't like it. But that also means there ARE people who got the message and just didn't like it. One phrase I see thrown around a lot usually dealing with Lupe songs is that those who don't like the music "don't understand the music." No explanation needed, just a regurgitated line spewed out when someone talks down on a track. Although it may be true at times, it's still stereotyping.

Rap has come a long way but these mentalities of labeling based on artist still linger.

Now, the response to this would most likely be, doesn't it apply to every genre? So why is it such a big deal? 

Well maybe it's not a big deal. Maybe the premise of fans listening to what they like and being judged accordingly based on the person of who they are instead of what they listen to is too much to ask. Maybe it's over-thinking a basic thought. I don't know. 

It's just a sign of how fans react to music since the platform is that much bigger. It draws back to the idea that people feel personally attacked if the artist they listen to is criticized. With the abundance of flavors and styles in rap today, each rapper is placed into a group. This derives from lyrics, flow, delivery, and who they are themselves. Rap is seen as so many things, but so are the fans. Now a tag has to be thrown on anyone who grabs a mic, like "intellectual" or "mainstream."

As Chris Rock says, "I love all the rappers today, but it's hard to defend this shit." The only difference, people take defending a little too serious now.

Written By: @Jawrduhn