Unsettling notes: Artists embroiled in court disputes and facing wrath online

Singer Billie Eilish image source Pop Crush

Western musicians are receiving backlash on social media, ranging from court cases to constant harassment. We examine

Western musicians face a plethora of obstacles beyond just their skill level, from court cases to unrelenting abuse on social media. We examine a few of the most recent instances:

Kanye West
In a complaint filed on Tuesday, a former employee accused musician Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, of anti-Black bigotry and stated that he had seen West's antisemitic and homophobic outbursts. Variety reports that the Black employee, Trevor Phillips, said that West had humiliated and chastised him in front of other workers, and that other workers had observed that West treated Black workers less well than White workers.

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo
The songwriting pair The Neptunes, consisting of singer Pharrell Williams and producer Chad Hugo, are currently embroiled in a legal battle over the group's name. Hugo's attorneys filed the lawsuit last week, and it was first reported by Billboard on Monday. They argue that Williams is trying to "fraudulently" get exclusive control over the Neptunes' trademarks, which is against their agreement to split everything evenly. The two were elected into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022 and have been friends and partners from their early years.

Eilish Billie
Performer When Billie Eilish voiced her concerns about wasteful vinyl packaging, she did not want to criticize her colleague Taylor Swift. She addressed this recently, adding, "I wasn't singling anyone out, these are industry-wide systemic issues." The 22-year-old singer-songwriter gained notoriety after criticizing musicians for releasing separate CD copies of their work in dissimilar packaging, citing the negative environmental effects of such practices.