10 Musicians Who NO ONE Wants to Work With
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VOICE OVER: Ryan Wild
WRITTEN BY: Cillian Cunningham
From shocking criminal charges to controversial statements, these artists have become industry pariahs. Join us as we explore the musicians whose actions and behavior have led to their isolation from the music business. Whether through heinous crimes or inflammatory comments, these artists have burned their bridges. Our countdown includes artists who faced serious criminal charges, those who made controversial statements, and others whose behavior became too toxic for the industry to ignore. From assault allegations to hate speech, these musicians have effectively blacklisted themselves from the music world.Which do you think should top the list?
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at musicians who were essentially blacklisted from the industry by some pretty heinous actions, comments, and incidents.
Ryan Adams
Rock and country singer Ryan Adams made a splash in the music scene in the early 2000s – thanks to critically acclaimed records like “Heartbreaker” and “Gold”. But in 2019, several women came forward with accusations of harassment. They claimed that Adams had abused his fame and power, offering to assist them with their own musical ambitions, before making romantic advances. What made things worse is that they went on to claim that Adams did not take rejection lightly – and actively tried to hurt their careers when they said no. This all came to light at the height of the #MeToo movement, so you can imagine that people aren’t queueing up to work with Adams any more.
DaBaby
One lone incident can be written off as a freak occurrence… but in the case of rapper DaBaby, that seemed less and less likely. Known for several hits in the late 2010s, DaBaby found himself in the news for the wrong reasons when he shot and killed a man in 2019 – though he claimed self-defense. The charges were dropped shortly after, but surveillance footage brought things into doubt a few years later. In 2020, DaBaby was charged with battery after he assaulted and robbed a music promoter who underpaid him. And in 2022, he slapped a female fan for setting off her phone’s flash in his face. Simply put, DaBaby's reckless and violent nature has many of his contemporaries thinking twice before working with him.
Morrissey
Where do we even start with Morrissey, the legendary frontman of The Smiths and acclaimed solo star? To be so beloved for his music, the man behind the microphone gives new meaning to the word abrasive. From lighter rock-star tropes like throwing tantrums and feuding with fellow musicians, to accusations of racism, Morrissey is the type of guy who just can’t help but speak his mind. And after decades of stardom, even his most diehard fans have come to realise that what’s on his mind is usually better left unspoken. These days, even a mention of his name is likely to cause eyes to roll.
Ninja from Die Antwoord
When you market yourself as an incredibly edgy and counter-culture musical project, it’s natural to wonder just how ‘freaky’ you are when the curtains come down and the cameras shut off. For South African hip-hop duo Die Antwoord, and in particular rapper Ninja, the truly worrying accusations just kept on piling up. These included claims of long-standing assault and abuse by one of Ninja and bandmate Yolandi Visser’s adopted children; homophobic comments; and accusations of public harassment and highly inappropriate behaviour. Among the accusers are fellow rapper Danny Brown and featured artist Zheani. When some of Ninja’s leaked texts to the latter were released, to say it painted him in an incredibly dark light would be an understatement.
CeeLo Green
In this day and age, the power of social media cannot be understated. By 2014, CeeLo Green was already in hot water with the feds after allegedly spiking a date’s drink with an illegal substance before then taking advantage of her. But when Green took to his official Twitter page to voice his truly baffling views on consent, the pushback was instantaneous. The comments were almost unanimously appalled by his opinions on the subject. But CeeLo kept on tweeting, showing a bizarre lack of self-awareness before eventually deleting his account and apologising shortly after. Needless to say, the damage had already been done, and his career never truly recovered.
Kanye West
We could create an entire video dedicated to the long list of anti-semitic, racist, self-aggrandizing, and generally inflammatory comments made by hip-hop legend Kanye West. While at first, his ego-driven rants were seen as a quirky character trait, as the years went on and Mr. West became more erratic, his behaviour became incredibly hard for his fans and fellow artists to stomach. These days, Kanye is clearly persona non grata within the music industry – even if he still retains the power to make a splash with every word that comes out of his mouth. Can he rebuild his reputation or is the damage already too much? Only time will tell.
R. Kelly
Once called the “King Of R&B,” R. Kelly dominated the charts from the 90s onwards, scoring hit after hit during a real boom period for his genre. But when multiple allegations of egregious abuse came to light in recent years, the world was presented with overwhelming evidence of Kelly’s wrongdoing. This guy wasn’t just a one-time offender either. And when a 2019 documentary entitled “Surviving R. Kelly” hit screens, it served as the final nail in the coffin containing his career. Kelly was later sentenced to 32 years in prison for his crimes and has been very clearly branded as “irredeemable” by those who once knew and worked with him.
Diddy
A rapper, record producer and actor, Diddy seemed like a man who could do it all. But in late 2023, the career and overall life of this music mogul was turned on its head, culminating in one of the most shocking downfalls in music history. The list of allegations against Diddy seems to be endless, including abuse, assault, racketeering, trafficking, and more. During the peak of the media frenzy, it seemed like a day couldn’t go by without some new shocking evidence coming to light. The now-infamous Diddy Parties have become a part of cultural lingo, and everyone associated with them was left with some explaining to do.
Gary Glitter
Glamorous costumes and a playboy attitude were part and parcel of what made Gary Glitter a star in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But the singer of “Do You Wanna Touch Me?” ended up becoming one of the most infamous figures in music when a series of disturbing allegations and full-on convictions came to light. Glitter was marked as a serial predator who preyed on a number of minors in several countries. He also maintained a decades-long friendship with the former BBC star Jimmy Saville, probably the most hated serial predator in Britain. Glitter served half of his sixteen-year sentence for his crimes, but upon being released, he was quickly sent back to prison for breaching his parole by downloading indecent images.
Ian Watkins
Lostprophets were a Welsh rock band that would probably still be openly beloved if it weren’t for the actions of their lead singer Ian Watkins. In 2012, a truly horrific list of allegations began to paint Watkins in the most terrible light imaginable. Before long, it became clear that this man was a monster, one who had abused his fans, several minors, and was in possession of photographic and video material of a disgusting nature. Watkins was known to casually joke about his crimes, even as he was sitting in jail. And the fact that he carried himself like some depraved cult leader who organised his abuses so thoroughly still sends chills down our spines.
What other musicians spring to your mind when you think about controversies that tanked entire careers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Ryan Adams
Rock and country singer Ryan Adams made a splash in the music scene in the early 2000s – thanks to critically acclaimed records like “Heartbreaker” and “Gold”. But in 2019, several women came forward with accusations of harassment. They claimed that Adams had abused his fame and power, offering to assist them with their own musical ambitions, before making romantic advances. What made things worse is that they went on to claim that Adams did not take rejection lightly – and actively tried to hurt their careers when they said no. This all came to light at the height of the #MeToo movement, so you can imagine that people aren’t queueing up to work with Adams any more.
DaBaby
One lone incident can be written off as a freak occurrence… but in the case of rapper DaBaby, that seemed less and less likely. Known for several hits in the late 2010s, DaBaby found himself in the news for the wrong reasons when he shot and killed a man in 2019 – though he claimed self-defense. The charges were dropped shortly after, but surveillance footage brought things into doubt a few years later. In 2020, DaBaby was charged with battery after he assaulted and robbed a music promoter who underpaid him. And in 2022, he slapped a female fan for setting off her phone’s flash in his face. Simply put, DaBaby's reckless and violent nature has many of his contemporaries thinking twice before working with him.
Morrissey
Where do we even start with Morrissey, the legendary frontman of The Smiths and acclaimed solo star? To be so beloved for his music, the man behind the microphone gives new meaning to the word abrasive. From lighter rock-star tropes like throwing tantrums and feuding with fellow musicians, to accusations of racism, Morrissey is the type of guy who just can’t help but speak his mind. And after decades of stardom, even his most diehard fans have come to realise that what’s on his mind is usually better left unspoken. These days, even a mention of his name is likely to cause eyes to roll.
Ninja from Die Antwoord
When you market yourself as an incredibly edgy and counter-culture musical project, it’s natural to wonder just how ‘freaky’ you are when the curtains come down and the cameras shut off. For South African hip-hop duo Die Antwoord, and in particular rapper Ninja, the truly worrying accusations just kept on piling up. These included claims of long-standing assault and abuse by one of Ninja and bandmate Yolandi Visser’s adopted children; homophobic comments; and accusations of public harassment and highly inappropriate behaviour. Among the accusers are fellow rapper Danny Brown and featured artist Zheani. When some of Ninja’s leaked texts to the latter were released, to say it painted him in an incredibly dark light would be an understatement.
CeeLo Green
In this day and age, the power of social media cannot be understated. By 2014, CeeLo Green was already in hot water with the feds after allegedly spiking a date’s drink with an illegal substance before then taking advantage of her. But when Green took to his official Twitter page to voice his truly baffling views on consent, the pushback was instantaneous. The comments were almost unanimously appalled by his opinions on the subject. But CeeLo kept on tweeting, showing a bizarre lack of self-awareness before eventually deleting his account and apologising shortly after. Needless to say, the damage had already been done, and his career never truly recovered.
Kanye West
We could create an entire video dedicated to the long list of anti-semitic, racist, self-aggrandizing, and generally inflammatory comments made by hip-hop legend Kanye West. While at first, his ego-driven rants were seen as a quirky character trait, as the years went on and Mr. West became more erratic, his behaviour became incredibly hard for his fans and fellow artists to stomach. These days, Kanye is clearly persona non grata within the music industry – even if he still retains the power to make a splash with every word that comes out of his mouth. Can he rebuild his reputation or is the damage already too much? Only time will tell.
R. Kelly
Once called the “King Of R&B,” R. Kelly dominated the charts from the 90s onwards, scoring hit after hit during a real boom period for his genre. But when multiple allegations of egregious abuse came to light in recent years, the world was presented with overwhelming evidence of Kelly’s wrongdoing. This guy wasn’t just a one-time offender either. And when a 2019 documentary entitled “Surviving R. Kelly” hit screens, it served as the final nail in the coffin containing his career. Kelly was later sentenced to 32 years in prison for his crimes and has been very clearly branded as “irredeemable” by those who once knew and worked with him.
Diddy
A rapper, record producer and actor, Diddy seemed like a man who could do it all. But in late 2023, the career and overall life of this music mogul was turned on its head, culminating in one of the most shocking downfalls in music history. The list of allegations against Diddy seems to be endless, including abuse, assault, racketeering, trafficking, and more. During the peak of the media frenzy, it seemed like a day couldn’t go by without some new shocking evidence coming to light. The now-infamous Diddy Parties have become a part of cultural lingo, and everyone associated with them was left with some explaining to do.
Gary Glitter
Glamorous costumes and a playboy attitude were part and parcel of what made Gary Glitter a star in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But the singer of “Do You Wanna Touch Me?” ended up becoming one of the most infamous figures in music when a series of disturbing allegations and full-on convictions came to light. Glitter was marked as a serial predator who preyed on a number of minors in several countries. He also maintained a decades-long friendship with the former BBC star Jimmy Saville, probably the most hated serial predator in Britain. Glitter served half of his sixteen-year sentence for his crimes, but upon being released, he was quickly sent back to prison for breaching his parole by downloading indecent images.
Ian Watkins
Lostprophets were a Welsh rock band that would probably still be openly beloved if it weren’t for the actions of their lead singer Ian Watkins. In 2012, a truly horrific list of allegations began to paint Watkins in the most terrible light imaginable. Before long, it became clear that this man was a monster, one who had abused his fans, several minors, and was in possession of photographic and video material of a disgusting nature. Watkins was known to casually joke about his crimes, even as he was sitting in jail. And the fact that he carried himself like some depraved cult leader who organised his abuses so thoroughly still sends chills down our spines.
What other musicians spring to your mind when you think about controversies that tanked entire careers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
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