WORD: LIFE Panel | The Critic and the Stan

Moderator:
Jayson Rodriguez
Panelists:
Jay Smooth
Jesse Washington
Rawiya Kameir
Jouelzy
Context:
Hip hop gave the world the concept of the Stan, via Eminem's 2000 song of the same name. Word: Life's THE CRITIC AND THE STAN panel emerged from a conversation with Jay Smooth about the changing relationship between artists, critics and fans; the panel was taking shape as Nicki Minaj and The Barbz were going after anyone who dared critique Pink Friday 2.
Hip hop critics have played a particular role in the culture. As the late, great Greg Tate said, "I don't think there's another genre era where what people wrote about music mattered as much to the musicians as it did in hip hop and rap... cats be ready to bully folks over half a mic.. They got bullet proof glass at The Source." The Source’s famous 5 Mic rating system had the power to make or break a project (and sometimes an artist’s career). Because the reviews in hip hop magazines were so high stakes, artists themselves and members of the music industry sometimes intimidated critics or even attacked them.
Over time that dynamic changed. As rappers moved into the mainstream and social media emerged as a communications juggernaut, not only did reviews diminish in weight, but fans began to mobilize around artists to shield them from anything interpreted as unfair criticism. For this panel, we wanted to connect the reason The Source had bulletproof glass with what’s happening now and consider how to make more room for productive friction in the culture.
Joining the panel are Jay Smooth, a pioneering vlogger, hip hop radio host and cocreator of the 2023 podcast on Michael Jackson, Think Twice; Jesse Washington, a former editor at Vibe and Blaze magazines; Rawiya Kameir, a contributor to The Fader and Pitchfork; and Jouelzy, a popular online cultural commentator with an eponymous youTube channel.
Moderating the discussion is Jayson Rodriguez, a former editor at Vibe and XXL magazines and currently publisher of Backseat Freestyle, a weekly hip hop newsletter.
Sample Credits:
Luke Ottenhof, Music criticism in the time of stans and haters (Article: Columbia Journalism Review, 2020)
Jay Smooth, Return of the Little Hater (Haters Don't Die, They Multiply) (Vlog: KZbin, 2013)
Tee Noir, Stan Culture, Why Are You Like This? (Vlog: KZbin, 2020)
Alona Wartofsky, Blaze Burning a Controversial Path in Hip Hop World (Article: Los Angeles Times, 1999)
Bonus Tracks:
Jas Keimig, Does Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You Include Me, a Music Critic? (Article: The Stranger, 2019)
Stacy Lee Kong, We’re Not Talking Enough About Dissent Within the Beyhive (Article: Friday Things, 2023)