Why 'Stans' Do More Harm Than Good For Artists And Music

Fans of music have a love/hate relationship with individuals that worship the ground that artists walk on as well as the air that they breathe. The aforementioned characteristics are usually designated to individuals who are known as Stans – a term that rose to popularity after rapper Eminem composed a song with the same title about a fictional obsessed fan.

Are they obsessed? Probably; but one thing is for sure, they love and adore any and everything a particular artist does whether it be right or wrong.

They are everywhere but most commonly in forums and comment areas on blogs and websites defending the artist they are most obsessed with and attacking artists that are clearly better in an attempt to place the artist they are “stanning” for on a higher pedestal. If said artist puts out less than perfect material and is called out on it, they make it a priority to stick up for said artist – an artist that more than likely knows nothing of their existence.

Though Stans are a great addition to an artist’s career entourage, do they do more harm than good?



Now more than ever, people’s opinions are no longer reserved for private conversations within their homes or just out and about. They now are laid out for the world to see via You Tube, comment areas, and….well…blogs. With these opinions come harsh truths; truths that may be a little too much for many to bear.

The saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” no longer applies around these parts for most people. In fact, sticks and stones would probably be a preferred choice when it comes to the sharpness of an opinionated tongue.

That is where Stans enter the equation. They love their favorite artists and are willing to spend hours on a blog or website comment area attacking others who do not share their same opinion. To some people reading this right now, you are probably thinking that it is not that serious, to that I simply say you have no idea.

The down part about a Stan is that they serve no purpose besides being an obsessed individual with far too much time on their hands. Though I have once considered that the individuals that spend hours defending an artist that suck are people within that person’s entourage who are just doing their part, I can be delusional at times.

Stans hardly list irrefutable points about the artists that they Stan for. They habitually go down the route of throwing out sales numbers or RIAA certifications, but more than often they neglect the obvious.

A Stan has an issue with calling a spade, a spade; meaning calling a single that sounds horrible and the artist that sings it just as horrible. It could be their undying love for the artist, but how about music fans that could care less about the artist’s character and more about the music they supply?

What ends up happening is the artist believes that there is some demand for that type of music they are releasing and continues to put out music that is obviously less than par. This in turns becomes annoying to hear on the radio making the average music fan utter that a certain genre is dead…which isn’t far from the truth.

Stans are toxic not only for the artists and their careers, but for the music fans that care more for the music than the artist’s personal life.

Then again, the Stan’s are pulling their weight when it comes to their relentless hours spent defending their favorites as made very clear by the questionable nominations certain less-than-deserving artists receive.

Hopefully, the Stans will get at most a “thank you” when their artists accept their awards; my advice, don’t hold your breath on that one.