What is a “Stan”?
The term “Stan” dates back to the early 2000s when Eminem released the song, “Stan”. The track is about a deranged fan of the rapper who wrote Eminem letters and after receiving no response, went over the edge resulting in the fan taking his own life. A very dark song and visuals, indeed, but it depicts real life and how fans develop parasocial relationships with celebrities and do dark things to support and defend their beloved artists.
“Stans” on Social Media
With the increase in social media use, over the last decade, these “Stans” have gotten unbearable, making it hard for people to give honest opinions on music due to the fear of being harassed by these super fans. “Stans” band together in comment sections on social media if one does not agree with their fav or doesn’t like the artists’ work. When it comes to music, even if the record is noticeably a flop, “Stans” will obsessively stream in an attempt to make it top the music charts.
“Stans” Today vs. Super Fans Before Social Media
Reminiscing on Pop Icons like Michael Jackson, before the influx in social media use, fans would wait outside in long lines before stores open to get their hands on the latest album release and yes, some would even buy multiple.
Although fans might’ve bought multiple albums then to support their favorite artists, it still does not compare to today. Today, one has to pay about $10 per month for a streaming service and can listen to a multitude of artists and listen for as many times and however long they like. “Stans” use this to their advantage by getting on social media and telling everyone to stream their favorite artists’ latest work. Actions like this make it difficult for the public to trust music charts to determine if the song is an actual hit record.
A Recent Example of “Stans” Skewing Music Chart Stats
Just this past month, after Meg Thee Stallion released diss track “Hiss” and Nicki Minaj responded with diss track “Big Foot,” Nicki Minaj’s “Stans,” “The Barbz,” banded together on social media telling other “Barbz” to stream, as well as the general public, making the diss track top US music charts, initially.
The diss track was not creative with no unique bars and, at one point, it was just the artist talking for almost a minute if not a full minute. I did not finish it to really know and that’s how much of a flop it was and this is what the “Brabz” was pressuring people to listen to? Now “Barbz” don’t come for me. Nicki Minaj had a hit last year with the song “Barbie World” and was one of the themes of the year in 2023. This “Big Foot” is not that, though. Now, five days later, the record has plummeted the charts, drastically, leaving Meg’s “Hiss” still in the top.
Do You Think “Stans” Skew Music Stats? Is it fair? Can Anything Be Done About It?
*Kanye shrugs*
At the end of the day, the consistency to remain at the top of the charts is what is going to determine if a record is a hit or not. If it’s a hit people will consistently listen. So, even if you have an army behind you, even they can only listen for so long, when the song is a flop.
Comment your thoughts.