The Psychology Behind Why Artists Create Fake Conflicts in 2025

Hello welcome to this week's Blonde Intelligence, I am your host Ms. Roni and I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. Authenticity matters more than ever in today's music landscape. As we venture deeper into 2025, the once-reliable strategy of manufacturing beef between artists is rapidly losing its effectiveness, and fans are becoming increasingly skilled at spotting the difference between genuine conflict and publicity stunts.

Drawing from insights by entertainment psychologist Dr. Lisa Williams, we explore how the transparency of social media has fundamentally changed the relationship between artists and their audiences. When an artist releases a diss track that lacks emotional depth or conveniently appears just before an album drop, today's discerning listeners can sense the insincerity. The consequences? Diminished trust, fan disillusionment, and potentially damaged careers.

What makes authentic beef different from the manufactured kind? We break down the key indicators: emotional resonance in lyrics, timing that doesn't conveniently align with promotional calendars, consistent behavior on social media, and genuine history between the artists involved. The recent Kendrick Lamar and Drake situation serves as a compelling case study in how real conflicts capture audience attention because they stem from substantive issues rather than marketing strategies.

For artists navigating this changing landscape, the message is clear: focus on creating music with depth and meaning rather than relying on emotional manipulation. As one indie artist puts it, "If you don't have anything to say, it's not gonna work in rap right now." We also share details about the upcoming UME 2025 (Unplugged Music Experience and Conference) happening November 13-16, 2025, where authentic musical talent will take center stage.

Ready to develop a more critical perspective on artist conflicts? Subscribe to Blonde Intelligence on all major podcast platforms and visit blondeintelligence.com for more insights and merchandise. Your ears—and your emotional investment—deserve authenticity.

#BlondeIntelligence #AuthenticityInMusic #RealBeef #MusicTransparency #KendrickVsDrake #UnpluggedMusicExperience 

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Learn about the indie artist from the indie
artists.

SPEAKER_01 (00:06):
I'm Shannon Keene.
I'm an artist.
My name is Lauren, as youalready said.
I am a singer-songwriter.
So I'm all femmes.
Originally come from theCaribbean, St.
Vincent, the Grenadines.

SPEAKER_02 (00:17):
My name is Brian Duser.
I'm an East Coast Canadianrocker.

SPEAKER_00 (00:23):
And then I found myself in Las Vegas, where I'm
at currently, for dancing forCircuit Du Soleil with my own
solos.
I also learned from musicindustry professionals.

SPEAKER_01 (00:33):
I'm a music producer.
I've been producingprofessionally for about 14
years.
I have uh worked with a couplepeople in the industry.
Uh Redmi nominated, Trev Rich,Misha from 702.

SPEAKER_02 (00:46):
After I got my deal with Universal Music, after the
Alicia Keys and Gunner Record,and many other that I've done,
and then Alicia Keys was thenumber one adult RB song of the
year.

SPEAKER_00 (00:58):
I asked the question.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01):
That's a great question.

SPEAKER_00 (01:02):
Yeah, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_02 (01:05):
Ooh, uh, that is a good question.
Wow.
I love all these questions.
These are great.
Like most of the questions thatI get are like, you know, tell
me about Justin Bieber.

SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
Indie Artist Music Hustle is for the indie artists,
their fans, industryprofessionals, and the music
lover.
Subscribe on YouTube, Facebook,or the podcast on Apple,
Spotify, Pandora, or BlondeIntelligence Facebook page.
Don't forget to add me to yourplaylist.
Bye.

SPEAKER_01 (01:37):
It's been really fun, especially hoping someone
across the pond.
Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 (01:44):
Welcome to this week's Blonde Intelligence.
I'm your host, Miss Ronnie, andI always seek to give you
exquisite cranial repertoire.
This week I am going to talkabout how fans can spot fake
beefs.
Because it seems that these daysfans get emotionally involved in

(02:09):
artist beefs, even if they nevermet the person or have any, I
would say, personal tie to them.
So I'm gonna talk about that alittle bit today.
But before I get started, I wantto tell you about a music
experience.
You and me, 2025 Unplugged MusicExperience and Conference.

(02:32):
You need to save this date,November 13th through 16th,
2025.
Music submissions.
Write in Sessions America, whichis WSA, is now accepting clean
radio edited original songs inany genre for the playlist
challenge.
The top 50 submissions will befeatured at UME 2025 in

(02:54):
exclusive sessions includingquality control listening
events, panel and pitch synclistening sessions, live radio
video showcases, and the iconawards.
Songs will be pre-selected byOctober 10th, 2025.
WSA will organize three focusgroups to select the top 25,

(03:16):
which will be highlighted at thelive radio video showcases and
icon awards.
Participants must be registeredto the 2025 UME conference to be
eligible for consideration.
Participants must submit amaximum of four MP3s to Sync
Music WSA 2025 at gmail.com.

(03:39):
Again, that is Sync Music WSA2025 at gmail.com.
In 2025, the strategy ofcreating fake beefs within the
rap genre serves as a failingpublic relations tactic that can
ultimately damage theauthenticity and credibility of

(04:00):
artists.
And I talk about that a lotbecause I feel like the
landscape is changing even withsocial media.
At first, you could create likethis social media persona, but I
think that now people are ableto, I would say, dig into

(04:21):
people's real lives without themwanting them to do it.
The rise of social media hastransformed how fans engage with
their favorite favoritemusicians, making them more
discerning and critical of thenarratives presented.
According to a study byentertainment psychologist Dr.

(04:42):
Lisa Williams, the increase intransparency in the music
industry means that fans aremore likely to notice when beefs
appear staged or insincere.
And like Hendrick said in hisrap beef with Drake, and a
couple of other people havesaid, if they're gonna engage in

(05:03):
a real rap beef, we're gonnahave a real problem in creating
fake problems with people.
Used to will work, but nowpeople are seeing through it.
And then sometimes the fans getso emotionally involved that
they orchestrate the beef.

(05:24):
I was saying like with thesituation with Jay-Z and Nas,
and Jay-Z being denied thecasino deal, and Nas receiving
his casino deal.
And I think that even if theyhad beef in the past, I I've

(05:46):
said it before, ultimately inthe rap in in the music
industry, I would say really inthe rap industry, that you
getting in and you're gettingout.
You're getting in, you creatinga your legacy, and then you're
making other businessinvestments.
And I would say both of them aredoing that, and it wasn't like

(06:08):
they were trying to do it in thesame exact area.
They were two different placesthat would provide different
things in that area, and from myunderstanding, where Jay-Z
wanted to be was where Broadwaywere was, and that wasn't the

(06:29):
same situation for Nas, but Ifeel like that because they had
beef in the past, that the fansare creating a beef now when
there is none.
So I would say sometimes youhave to be critical of that too.
There may not really be a beefthere, but it's being

(06:51):
orchestrated.
So again, according to a studyby entertainment psychologist
Dr.
Lisa Williams, the increase intransparency in the music
industry means that fans aremore likely to notice when beefs
appear staged or insincere.
This skepticism undermines theintended promotional effects as
fans prefer genuine connectionsover fabricated narratives.

(07:15):
As a result, fake beefs canbackfire, leading to fan
disillusionment and diminishedtrust in the artist.
So it used to be back in theday, if you got a new album or
something coming out, you haveto create some type of buzz
about yourself.
And a lot of artists wouldcreate a beef with another

(07:35):
artist, especially in rap, sothat people can get to talking
about him.
And I'm just wondering, is thatreally a good strategy anymore?
One significant indication thata diss track is not authentic is
the lack of emotional depth inthe lyrics.
Authentic beefs often stem fromgeneral conflict or
misunderstanding that resonateson a personal level, such as I

(07:59):
hate the way that you walk, theway that you talk, I hate the
way that you dress.
So, you know, that's a personallevel.
In contrast, superficial disstracks tend to rely on cliches
and recycled insults that failto engage listeners emotionally.
Dr.

(08:19):
Michael Thompson, an expert inentertainment psychology,
asserts that fans can sense whenan artist is not being truthful,
which creates a disconnect.
Moreover, the timing of a discin relation to the artist's
personal life can be a red flag.
If the disc coincides with amajor promotional event or a

(08:39):
scandal, it is likely acalculated move rather than a
heartfelt expression.
Fans should also pay attentionto the artist's public
interaction and social mediapresence.
If an artist who has supposedlyengaged in a beef seen
collaborating with theiradversaries shortly after the
release of the diss track, thisinconsistency raised questions

(09:02):
about the authenticity of theconflict.
I'm not going to collaboratewith people that I don't like,
and if I do, something is wrongwith that.
So that's the inconsistenciesthat it would raise that you
can't be this and this person,and then in the next few months
or the next couple of years, youworking with all we squashed

(09:23):
there, we over it, we this.
Was it even real?
Additionally, the absence of anyprior disputes or history
between the artists can signal amanufactured beef aimed solely
at generating buzz.
These warning signs can helpfans navigate the often murky

(09:43):
waters of rap beefs and avoidemotional investment in
inauthentic narratives.
Now, I know that especially withum YouTube, you have um reaction
channels that do reactions tonew music.
And they might go through and ohthere was a bar, that was this,

(10:07):
that was that.
But I would say since the beefwith Kendrick, I don't think,
and I know it's been some othersafter that, but I don't think
that any has been as emotionallyinvested.
And I feel like it was realbecause it wasn't done because

(10:27):
Kendrick had a new album comingout, or even that Drake had a
new album coming out, or thatsomething bad happened and we
have to hide it, or we need towrap this surprise up or wrap
this disaster up in surprise.
So ultimately, understanding thedynamics of fake beefs in music

(10:49):
allows fans to maintain acritical perspective on the
genre by recognizing theindicators of insincerity.
Listeners can appreciate theartistry while avoiding the
pitfalls of emotionalmanipulation because that's what
it is when even if it's if it'sif you're a good friend,

(11:11):
somebody talk about your friendand you're not there, and they
be like, no, that's not true.
You know, stand up for you orset the record straight.
So that's the same thing withdealing with fans, or even how
you do your social media.
If you're trying to emotionallymanipulate even the person that

(11:34):
you're trying to start a beefwith, because the thing about it
is you can start a beef with thewrong person, and you can that
fake beef can turn into a realbeef.
As the industry evolves, it isessential for fans to remain
discerning, ensuring theirengagement with authentic
content that reflects genuineartistic expression.

(11:57):
And we have been talking aboutartistic expression really over
the last year and a half.
If you don't have anything tosay, it's not gonna work in rap
right now.
You have to come with somethingthat has a deeper meaning that
somebody had to decipher yourlyrics.
So, emotional manipulation offans, I don't think it's gonna

(12:20):
work anymore by creating fakerap beefs in 2025.
And that's what I have for youtoday.
And remember the UM Me 2025Unplug Music Experience and
Conference November the 13ththrough 16th, 2025.
And remember, you have to getyour submissions in by October

(12:40):
the 10th, 2025, and you have tobe registered in order for to be
eligible for consideration andminimum of four MP3s to Sync and
Music Awards WSA2025 atgmail.com.
Remember, you can find thepodcast on all your podcasting

(13:02):
platforms and on social mediaand on my website at
www.blondash intelligence.com.
And if you want to copy yourmerch, and I'll see you next
week.
Bye.

SPEAKER_03 (13:14):
Hey girl, let me tell you about this podcast.
Girl, everybody has a podcastthese days.
But this one interviews new andinteresting indie artists.
It's called Indie Artist MusicHustle with Blonde Intelligence.
Really?
Where can I find it?
It's on all podcastingplatforms, streams live on
social media and onrpentradio.com.

(13:35):
What'd you say it was calledagain?
It's called Indie Artist MusicHustle with Blonde Intelligence.
Girl, I'm gonna have to checkher out.
Give it a check, girl.