Earlier this month, Pharrell stormed off stage while performing in Saudi Arabia after fans threw electronic wristbands at him. While fans doing too much at shows is far from a new trend, the increase in aggression is cause for concern and, unfortunately, it's unclear exactly where it's coming from.
Fans have been slowly getting more and more upset over the past few years, and some moments have been incredibly notable. In the summer of 2022, Lil Durk was performing at De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands when he stopped the show to get physical with a fan. The fan had upset the Chicago rapper by insulting the late King Von, and Durk interrupted the show to shove the fan down some steps.
In September 2023, another aggressive fan took the stage while 50 Cent was performing at Chicago's United Center and accused the G-Unit leader. This supporter was tackled and removed by security.
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Why are fans getting more aggressive?
If you think rap fans have gotten more aggressive at shows in recent years, you're right. Every week it seems there is a new report of fans climbing on stage or throwing hard objects at rappers while they are performing.
Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, a University of Arizona communications professor who specializes in media effects and audience behaviors, said The Huffington Post in 2023 that the pandemic is partly to blame. From annoying, drunk airline passengers to overburdened restaurant customers, manners and etiquette haven't been firing on all cylinders since the world reopened in 2021.
More interestingly, Stevens Aubrey said that during the quarantine fans developed an even more intense parasocial relationship with celebrities and artists, leading them to believe at shows that they were just watching an old friend perform.
“Fans enter the informal everyday lives of many of their favorite artists, making people feel like they have a rather close one-way friendship with these performers,” he said. “After all, they're often 'talking' on their phone through these short-form videos. In the minds of fans, is the friends.”
He continued, “Throwing things at a performer can be considered violence, but another interpretation is that it's an act of desperation. Like, this is their only chance to get the attention of the performer.”
But considering the violence often used against artists, and more specifically rappers, the increasing normality of this kind of etiquette is alarming. For example, security didn't even bat an eye when an overzealous fan took the stage and booed Drake during his show in Austin, Texas last year.
“Don't you do security out here?” Drake was questioned repeatedly as security finally came and threw the promoter off the stage. “Boy, take it easy as f**k.”
On the other hand, fans have also been seriously hurt in the process of interacting with rappers. In December 2023, Blueface and Jaidyn Alexis were seen on video bringing a fan on stage and punching a woman after she allegedly threw ice at Blue's fiancee.
Carla Penna, a psychoanalyst and crowd researcher in Rio de Janeiro, told the Los Angeles Times in 2023 that social media is also to blame for this toxic bond that fans feel with artists.
“With the support of limitless social media, the real or imagined distance between the fan and the artist has diminished,” Penna said. “Thus, in a performance, the audience may feel entitled to meet the artist on stage or join the artist in a symbolic way by throwing objects that represent or symbolize themselves.”
While fans may mean well with their interactions, the result is often fear and frustration for the artist. Some rappers even get in trouble for retaliation. Last August, Cardi B was briefly investigated for battery by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after she threw a microphone into the crowd when a fan threw water on her. Cardi wasn't charged, but it created unnecessary legal drama for the Bronx-raised rapper, which was undoubtedly frustrating.
The point is that fans should enjoy the show and stop trying to be a part of it.
