TW: Sexual and physical abuse – Scroll to the bottom for a list of abuse shelters and charities to donate to!
Over the past couple of days my Instagram has been flooded by local Toronto musicians reposting Ray Rowe's IGTV Story (@spacerayy) in which she recounts the sexual coercion and abuse she faced by producer Matthew Anningson, who in turn said that he was going to expose Toronto singer and friend Langston Francis for alleged sexual misconduct. Other women have since come forward with their own stories about the two men, some dating back to when Francis attended Rosedale Heights School of the Arts several years ago. Francis has since been dropped by Sony and Anningson is nowhere to be found on social media, but the influx of new stories only continues to grow. An entire record label has since been accused of being a “breeding ground” for sexual abuse. California record label Burger Records hosts a large number of bands currently involved in sexual abuse allegations, including members of The Growlers, The Frights, The Buttertones, SWMRS, and Cosmonauts, among others. Instances and accusations of underage girls being invited to backstage parties only to be preyed upon are being catalogued in the Instagram account Lured_By_Burger_Records. Since writing this, Burger Records has shut down completely.
These horrific stories are not new and they are unfortunately not surprising. I’m not in the music industry myself, but it doesn’t take being involved to understand that this is a systemic issue within an industry that covers up abuse, sexism, and racism to protect the few despite the trauma of many.
Let’s take a brief look into a few stories of sexual abuse and sketchy behaviour in the music industry (these are stories that I feel are fairly well-known and are based in North America):
Jimmy Page & Lori Maddox
Lori Maddox was 14 when she met Led Zeppelin’s guitarist, Jimmy Page. She was also 14
they had sex for the first time, beginning a two year relationship that often kept her secretly locked away in Page’s hotel rooms, as he wanted to avoid the legal troubles of, you know, statutory rape. During the 70s and 80s, a period of “sex, drugs, and rock & roll,” rockstars were notorious for sleeping with underage girls and “baby groupies,” many of whom have grown up to write books about their experiences of sleeping with famous rock stars. Sex with underage girls was less taboo and more rationalized during this time because having sex was just something rockstars did. But Lori’s story was one that helped transition the #MeToo movement from the film industry to the music industry, as more and more stories of fun debauchery were exposed for what they really were: the sexual coercion and abuse of children.
Ryan Adams
I didn’t know who Ryan Adams was until I became a fan of Phoebe Bridgers, who dated Adams in 2014 as she was entering the music industry at 20 years of age and he was an
established 40 year-old musician (oh look! A common theme of an older man with power dating a younger woman beginning her career!). Shortly after they met, Adams flooded Bridgers with promises of bringing her on tour and of releasing some of her songs. Any young musician would jump at such an opportunity. Then they started dating. Adams soon became obsessive, sexually aggressive, threatened suicide and was emotionally abusive to Bridgers when she wouldn't comply to his demands. When she broke up with him, her songs were suddenly scrapped and her tour was reduced to a few shows. He has since shown a consistent pattern of manipulative behaviour toward other young female artists in which he would shower them with support and career opportunities (a manipulation tactic often used by abusers called love bombing) while simultaneously pursuing these artists for sex.
Around the same time as his relationship with Bridgers, Adams was messaging 14-year-old Ava (fake name), an underage fan. Throughout the over 3,000 text messages the two exchanged, Adams would constantly question Ava about her age in between asking for Skype sex and dirty photos. He has consequently denied knowing she was underage, but had also texted Ava saying that "If people knew they would say I was like R. Kelly lol." I personally do not trust his claims and neither does the FBI, as they have launched an investigation into Ava and Adams’ relationship.
Also, just to add on to Adams list so abusive behaviour, ever wonder why Mandy Moore’s music career ended? She married Ryan Adams in 2009 (her, 23, him, 33) and trusted him to produce her music. Adams would allegedly produce her songs and never release them, book her studio time over with other musicians’, and lorded his own career over hers while claiming she “wasn’t a real musician.” She didn’t release a single album in the six years they were together, despite Adams promising to release two separate LPs. What a non-careering-ruining gentleman!
Drake
I love “Hotline Bling” and “One Dance” just as much as the next person, and those songs are on the the soundtrack of my university experience. I’ll admit he is a talented artist, but why does this always overshadow his constant problematic behaviour? Sure, let’s say that regularly texting Millie Bobby Brown and Billie Eilish while they were both underage is passable because he was “mentoring them.” Let’s say that a 31 year-old man texting a 14 year-old child about boys and “missing each other” is normal. Let’s say meeting a girl at 16 and dating her at 18 when he’s 31 is normal. Let’s accept when these underage girls defend their friendship with a cool, famous, rich, powerful older man just like any person would if their favourite artist was talking to them and making them feel special. Let’s just accept that his preference (and the preference of many older celebrities) for younger women is normal because it’s Hollywood and the rules (or laws??) don’t exist.
But are you also going to ask me to accept his “friendly” reunion with Chris Brown? That Drake, who’s been an obsessive friend of Rihanna’s since 2005, is featured on Brown's "No Guidance", which was released in 2019, about 10 years after Brown almost murdered Rihanna in one of the biggest celebrity physical abuse stories of my lifetime? “But Morgan, he makes bangers! OVO, Toronto life!” Stop. Support him all you want, but recognize that Drake is demonstrating a pattern of issues that have already been demonstrated by men in this article and be accountable for them. Don’t excuse or deny them.
Chris Brown
It should be obvious why Chris Brown is the absolute scum of the earth, but the fact of the matter is (and why I have serious doubts that the music industry will ever change) people have stopped caring. I’ve been ridiculed for asking Chris Brown to be turned off. I’ve had the music turned up louder and been laughed at, as if my discomfort in listening to the music of an abusive and toxic woman beater is some sort of a joke. “But Morgan, this happened in 2009! Rihanna forgave him, she even worked with him again! He’s changed!” Again, stop. On average, a woman will return to her abuser seven times before leaving them for good. Let’s not blame Rihanna for this. Also, Chris Brown is still a woman abuser with a criminal history spanning from 2009 until 2019, with nearly all charges being for violence and battery against women. I could go on and on about Chris Brown’s extensive history of physical and sexual abuse towards women, but if you have the nerve to support Chris Brown in 2020 after he almost murdered Rihanna (yes murdered, don’t downplay this), then I doubt I’ll be changing anyone’s mind today. If you still aren't taking Brown's violence against women seriously, here is the police transcript of the Brown vs. Rihanna court case following his attack on her. Read it and tell me that he's not so bad, that you can actually stomach supporting him when you have the full knowledge of what he's done. I will never let my intense disdain for Chris Brown die, because he doesn't deserve his fame. He doesn’t deserve his fans. Please watch Gus Johnson's video on Chris Brown if you’d like to learn more.
Outing Abusers and Racism
It’s difficult to grasp how truly terrifying it is to “out” an abuser. Accusing a person of abuse, let alone a celebrity with immense power, can lead to brutal attacks on the victim, especially within the music industry. The HBO documentary On The Record focuses on Drew Dixon, a former music executive who worked at Def Jam Recordings in the 90’s and accused co-founder and rapper Russell Simmons of raping her in 2017, almost 30 years later. As we watch the once promising career of Dixon be taken away by the power-abusive men she works with, the documentary presents expert assessments of how racism and sexism are ever present in the music industry, pushing women out of a broken system that fosters the careers of men while traumatically harming women. These women are so afraid to speak up for fear of repercussions, for being hated in their community, and thereby being outcast. It is not as if abusers in the industry are appearing out of nowhere; they have always been there, because their power and influence grants them the privilege to do what they want to women without fear of consequence.
Russell Simmons has been accused of over 16 counts of sexual abuse, yet he was brought on the famous radio show The Breakfast Club two weeks after these accusations were released, which gave him a platform to defend himself. Where is the justice there?
It’s no shock to me that the abuse by Langston Francis and Matthew Anningston was brought to light by a black woman in the Toronto music industry. It is no shock to me that people who are so eager to be accountable for their systemic racism as a white person are not ready to take accountability for their systemic sexism as a man. Racism and sexism are intertwined, and again here we have a feminist movement for change led by a black woman, in an industry that constantly lifts up the voices of men accused of abusing black women. R. Kelly was protected from prison for two decades, with his marriage to 15-year-old Aaliyah thought of as “celebrity gossip” rather than the abuse it was. Chris Brown earned two trophies at the 2020 BET Awards, an award show that promoted the Black Lives Matter movement. Again, must I bring up that this man nearly beat Rihanna to death? What kind of message is this? What kind of message does continually supporting and validating this trauma send to women of colour who want to break into this industry? That it’s okay for them to be abused, beaten, and assaulted by men with power over them?
Kind of an Ending (But Not Really)
This is not about “not all men” or a blanket statement that all men are trash. This is about the continual support of these PROVEN absolute pieces of shit. When you look a woman in the eyes and diminish her pain because you don’t want to have to confront the discomfort you feel because your “fave” isn’t a god, you are a part of the issue.
Where is the accountability? Why aren’t men holding themselves and these other men accountable? Phoebe Bridgers summed up this anger towards the validators in an Instagram caption discussing her relationship with Ryan Adams:
“None of them held him accountable. They told him, by what they said or by what they didn’t, that what he was doing was okay. They validated him. He couldn’t have done this without them. Guys, if your friend is acting fucked up, call them out. If they’re actually your friend, they’ll listen. That’s the way this all gets better.”
What women are doing now is not “cancel culture.” It's holding men accountable for the women who have been and are being damaged by a system that men thrive in. Why is it so difficult to accept that women are constantly harmed, coerced, and abused? I dare you to find me one person who doesn’t know a woman thats been abused by a man. I have seen the pain and absolute destruction of lives from sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, yet the passivity of men still astounds me. The few conversations I’ve had with men about the abuse of women have been met with discomfort, awkwardness, and them brushing the story aside. Due to this, I, along with many other women, are so often afraid of speaking out for fear of repercussion from others, for fear of causing discomfort for someone who wouldn’t even agree with them anyways. So even if you agree, or disagree, here are some charities and shelters that everyone can agree on donating to!
Donate to Abuse Charities In Toronto
Donate to Women and Children’s Abuse Shelters in Toronto
Donate to Men’s Abuse Shelters in Toronto
Dixon Neighbourhood Services (does a lot for women and children as well!)
Na-Me-Res (shelter for Aboriginal men)
Black Lives Matter and wear your mask!
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