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Am I "fake"?
| Example:
I might talk about violence as a metaphor for my fight with mental illness, not because I've committed a lot of violence.
I might tell a story about fighting authority figures and cops to paint the picture of revolution in an anti-government song, not because I've actually done that.
I might tell stories about certain street shit, not because I've been directly involved in it but because I've seen it happening around me and with people I know and want to comment on it.
| I might write about a person and my relationship with that person, not because it's a real person or things I've done but because it's an easy way to explain certain emotions and concepts.
Are people able to understand that the "I" in a creative work isn't always referring to the person who wrote it and that some songs use fictional scenarios and characters to better give a feel for and express certain concepts, or are people just gonna think I'm claiming to do shit I don't?
| > Are people able to understand that the "I" in a creative work isn't always referring to the person who wrote it
Yes, and people who can't understand that are not worth worrying about.
| >>771427
That's what I've been thinking so far, but then I realized some people may be confused by it. Like, I have songs where I talk about shit that's actually happened to be and shit I've actually done, right next to stuff that's meant to be a metaphor. Idk. I probably shouldn't worry about it.
| You're overthinking it a little, usually when someone cites something real that happened they provide a detail. When it's out of nowhere it's more of an abstraction to get to the next bear.
Think a line in mfdoom references some graffiti in a prison cell. But I'm certain he didn't kill anybody.
I can see this as an issue if you are somewhere on the spectrum though.
| Beat*
| >>59bb11 most people take it on face value as being not true, but rooted in truth. To make an emotional point about how they feel.
If you're on the spectrum then intuitively understanding what are exaggerations for effect and what are honest retellings of experiences can be difficult, especially if the artist wants to be deliberately ambiguous.
The reason i brought it up is because the premise of the question seemed a bit spectrimy.
| >>771489
Ah, I see. Well, I mean, I'm on the spectrum and I don't really struggle with that kinda stuff. I can tell when someone's telling a story as a way to express emotions and not because it's a real story. So, in the regard it should be fine.
But, yeah. I get that. I just see so many cases of people getting trashed for being "fake" just because they talk about shit they haven't done/been through themselves, as if music is supposed to be a fancy autobiography.
| >>59bb11 credentials are pretty important. So when someone gets called out for being inauthentic that's a career killer.
What's being sold is authenticity after all. People are on the eye for industry plants, which in a sense steals the valour of people that have had those real experiences.
There is a lot of money to be made in being fake, just look at dr.dre xD
| >>771497
Sure, if it's actually them not being authentic, like, as you said, some industry plants and stuff. But, like, if I were to make a name for myself, would people act up because of me using fictional stories as metaphors? Like, do people exclusively want music that does nothing but recite word for word stuff that the artist has done, or is creativity accepted? That's what I don't understand.
| I do believe that ideas, concepts can be pretty well explained/felt by someone that never experienced them on first hand.
So... Personally, I wouldn't call an artist a "fake person" for writing about things/feelings they've not experienced directly.
| >>771548
Yeah, definitely. But, what about telling stories as a metaphor? If I have some bars about, for example, gang wars, but it's used as a metaphor for a personal struggle unrelated to gangs. I drop some hints to what I'm actually talking about, but sometimes I want to paint a picture of pain and struggle instead of just saying "Ay, this one thing happened, not very fun, now I gotta deal with it". Like, putting someone in my shoes through putting them in a different situation.
| I feel like that kinda shit could easily go over someone's head, and I'm mostly an observer to shit like gang violence and don't partake myself. So I feel like of a lot of people miss the point then I'm just gonna be fucked over for it. I know I'm probably just being overly careful, but idk.
| >>59bb11 yeah dude you're just overthinking.
If you're a person who witnesses gang violence then that's a thing you understand and have perspective on. You can project and write from their perspective if you want, to either mock or support them.
But at the end of it in that case you're ground zero is still as an observer.
I recommend you look up JPEGMAFIA.
A lot of his work is him writing from the perspective of people he dislikes. Maybe you just need to create a persona.
| >>771636
When I say witness I'm talking I know when stuff happens, where and some of the people who might be involved. Not standing next to the person getting jumped or anything. That could be very unsafe for someone like me.
But, yeah. I have actually checked out some of JPEGMAFIA's stuff before. Only a couple tracks a few years ago though.
But, I get what you mean. I might. I mean, I sort of do that without thinking sometimes.
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| So, in music, and especially rap, there are a lot of people who talk about people being "fake", as in talking about or claiming to have done stuff they haven't been through/haven't done.
I'm a writer, and very often I paint scenarios and tell stories that are either fictional or only partially based in reality as a way to express emotions.
I know this might sound dumb to some people, but, I want to know if this counts as "being fake" or not.