Angry At Taylor Swift? Musicians Who Sound Off On Politics Are Nothing New

Both Kanye West and Taylor Swift have been making headlines recently, but not because of a new hot single or some stunt they pulled on the red carpet at the Video Music Awards. Recently, both these artists shared their political opinions — and both proved to be somewhat unpopular views among their fan base.

Kanye West drew criticism last week following a speech he made at SNL minutes after the live show went off the air. His entire speech, which was strongly supportive of Donald Trump, was captured and posted to social media.

SNL cast member Pete Davidson directly addressed the rapper on the newest episode of SNL, which aired one week after Kanye’s speech. Many fans criticized Kanye’s speech. The rapper got himself even more ire from fans when he made a controversial tweet about the 13th Amendment, according to People. That’s the one that repealed slavery.

Reportedly, Kanye has deleted his social media accounts.

Taylor Swift got her fans angry, including Donald Trump, when she created a surprise social media post. Swift has never been so open about her own political views before, and many country music fans were upset after she endorsed Democratic candidates for the midterms.

Many Twitter users expressed anger and disappointment at Taylor Swift, and even Donald Trump weighed in by saying he likes her music much less now.

But the truth is, musicians have had a huge effect on American politics, historically speaking. It wasn’t so long ago that musicians were also political activists who used their music to speak out against the Vietnam War.

Bob Dylan famously wrote about political issues, and his message was pretty clear. He is one of the most memorable folk music artists of all time, and an icon of the 1960s. N.W.A. addressed social and political issues that still resonate today, and Rage Against the Machine is so named because of their political views. Willie Nelson gets political from time to time, and he’s joined by many other country music singers who deliver clear messages in their songs. Cue Toby Keith.

The list of musicians who express their political views through song goes on and on — from Public Enemy to Randy Newman.

Billboard put together a list of musicians who have actually gone into politics by running their own election campaigns. Among them is Sonny Bono, one of the few examples of a musician who successfully switched to a career in politics.

Music has been highly political from time to time, and there will always be musicians who are political, too.