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JoniVanZandt t1_j07f2km wrote

Prince was absolutely massive during his lifetime, especially in the 80s.

It depends what you mean by "their due". Some really good art isn't broad and readily enjoyed by everyone imo, so getting your due could be just finding a modest sized audience who are willing to buy your albums and come see you live. In that sense I think plenty of them do get it.

Many musicians do get more respect and admiration after they're gone though, Nick Drake being an obvious example.

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Xanna12 t1_j07fcld wrote

I'm sorry I didn't mean to say he wasn't massive, I more meant he had become the butt of jokes and his massive music talent had become over looked.

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JoniVanZandt t1_j07fxkq wrote

I get what you mean, death focuses people's minds on an artist's achievements.

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misterjip t1_j07f4id wrote

These are known artists, they received tons of praise (and criticism I'm sure) and reached huge levels of popularity unseen in previous generations of pop music... what more do they deserve? They were on t.v. they were in magazines they got rich and had wild parties... what are you talking about?

So many artists are totally unknown and most will stay that way, I'm guessing. Fame is a fire people throw themselves into, anyway, it's not healthy. Life is art, it's not about recognition.

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Xanna12 t1_j07fijf wrote

You're right! Thank you for that perspective!

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kenlasalle t1_j07cyge wrote

Most artists die having never achieved their due, or very much of anything.

I say this as an author who used to be an actor who has been in a few bands, which is to say I've known a lot of artists. And most will never be known. That's just how it works.

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as_it_was_written t1_j07fzlt wrote

I mean there are several factors at play here:

  • Celebrity deaths draw attention to their work, especially with the kind of reverence for the dead we have in many cultures. An artist that dies popular will pretty much always become even more popular as a result of their death.

  • An art work's legacy can keep growing for a long time once it starts, and the artist's death doesn't prevent this. If anything it's the opposite, given the point above.

  • We experience art relative to the surrounding culture, and sometimes the culture isn't a good fit until long after the work is created. See Van Gogh, for example, whose work wasn't really appreciated during his lifetime. This happens to lesser extents with many popular artists, which means people start appreciating parts of their back catalogues later on when the artist might already have died.

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easylisteningmuzak t1_j07g9at wrote

Nick Drake, lil peep, and Johnathan Larson are the ones that come to my mind

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BodhiK187 t1_j07hy8q wrote

Mark Sandman of Morphine was underappreciated while he was on this earth. He is still underappreciated.

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ExternalPiglet1 t1_j07kllh wrote

If you do it too soon it goes to their head and could stifle creativity...if you do it late in their life, it comes off passive aggressive.

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tirnanog22 t1_j07crkc wrote

Sting sucks, boring music ..

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BunkytheClown t1_j07gmw0 wrote

Why don't you recommend to us all a couple of artists you don't find boring?

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Xanna12 t1_j07cvfx wrote

He's my favorite so I disagree shrug lol

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