How Should the Music Industry Hold Alleged Abusers Like Octavian Accountable?

TW: alleged domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Black Butter records have dropped French-British musician Octavian from their label due to allegations of domestic abuse against the rapper. Octavian has since denied the accusations.

The news poses the conundrum of how music industry gatekeepers and fans alike should navigate the gravity of abuse allegations, so as to avoid “normalising” the behaviour of alleged abusers like Octavian.

On November 11, Emo Baby, Octavian’s ex-girlfriend, released a public statement on her Instagram which detailed the alleged abuse that she suffered throughout her and Octavian’s three-year relationship.

In the thread, Emo Baby included a series of photos, videos and screenshots, from her text conversations with Octavian, that outlined the psychological, verbal, and physical abuse that she claims Octavian inflicted upon her.

“many Octavian fans, including myself, have chosen to boycott his music on Spotify.”

Like many former fans of the rapper, I was looking forward to the long-awaited release of Octavian’s debut album Alpha on November 13. But ever since the accusations of physical and emotional abuse against the musician have surfaced, many Octavian fans, including myself, have chosen to boycott his music on Spotify.

With 10,000 users blocking Octavian’s music – a new function that Spotify introduced in the aftermath of the sexual abuse claims against R. Kelly – from their profiles on the popular music streaming platform, this action of solidarity with the victim indicates that many people are unwilling to take allegations of domestic abuse lightly.

This collective refusal to engage with the work of an alleged abuser may be linked to the fall-out and cultural resonance of the 2017 #MeToo movement. #MeToo saw women across the globe holding powerful males to account for their abusive behaviour towards women.

Violent lyricism and abuse

There has long been a debate over whether lyrics which demean women should be tolerated within the music industry. We might question whether we should always interpret music as merely “art” without critiquing the damaging and derogatory references to females that occur within some music.

In a screenshot shared on Emo Baby’s Twitter, Octavian describes the violent meaning behind the lyrics of the track “My Head”, that appeared on his 2019 album Endorphins, in an interview with DJ Semtex. Octavian references a violent assault against a woman in “My Head”: “Been thinkin’ ‘bout killing you / I’ll kill you if you’re in my sight / grab the machete then I put it in your belly”.

In conversation with DJ Semtex, Octavian explains that he composed the song at a time when he was breaking up with his ex-girlfriend. Octavian details his frustrations about the demise of his relationship in the song, claiming that the deeply vehement lyrics are a manifestation of his conflicting emotions at the time.

Octavian ultimately dismisses the explicitly violent nature of the track and instead heralds it as “art” in the interview with DJ Semtex.

This connection between violent lyricism in music and abuse that physically materialises is not unfamiliar in the music industry. In 2017, the late Florida rapper XXXTentacion was accused of violently assaulting his then-pregnant girlfriend. The misogynistic lyrics from XXXTentacion’s hit “Look at Me!”, which propelled the rapper to fame, seem to allude to a non-consensual sexual encounter through lyrics such as: “Can’t keep my dick in my pants / My bitch don’t love me no more”.

No one could deny the potentially deleterious impact of portraying women in this objectifying manner in music.

The perils of censorship

“imposing censorship rules on artists’ work is incredibly problematic and risky”

While Octavian and XXXTentacion may exhibit a disparaging view of women in some of their tracks, imposing censorship rules on artists’ work is an incredibly problematic and risky terrain to cross, especially considering the music industry is meant to cultivate creative self-expression.

Of course, there is no established link between violent lyrics and violent acts. To propose that this is always the case vitiates the sometimes metaphorical or symbolic employment of violent references in music.

For instance, drill musicians have been subject to heavy censorship due to the references to violence in their lyrics; however, researchers such as Jonathan Ilan suggest these allusions to violence may be an expression of drill artists’ frustration at their marginalised position in society. Consequently, censorship limits the liberating potentialities of musical expression for young male drill artists who often come from deprived inner-city areas.

Holding abusers accountable

But how do we mediate the issue of lyrical references to violence against women with musicians who then go on to actually commit acts of domestic abuse?

In the case of artists like Octavian and XXXTentacion, I refuse to separate “the art from the artist”, especially when these musicians clearly exhibit their violent inclinations towards women in their tracks.

“record labels and industry gatekeepers have a responsibility to hold alleged abusers accountable”

The problem is exacerbated when musicians like XXXTentacion show little remorse for their alleged crimes. Emo Baby’s thread refers to the fact that Octavian has uploaded conflicting statements about his role in the crimes, such as blaming the abuse he inflicted upon his difficult upbringing, but then after gaslighting his ex-partner through entirely denying his culpability in the abuse claims.

What’s more, leaving the decision to effectively “cancel” musicians in the hands of industry heads such as Spotify is a contentious solution. Spotify received backlash from Kendrick Lamar’s representatives after removing R. Kelly from their playlists, with Lamar’s team allegedly citing Spotify’s racial double standards since the streaming service had not removed white abusers from their playlists.

Yet, record labels and industry gatekeepers still have a responsibility to hold alleged abusers accountable. At the time of the abuse claims against XXXTentacion in 2017, Empire record label, amongst others in the music industry, continued to work with the accused rapper. In Octavian’s case, it is productive to see that Black Butter records and two PR companies have parted ways with their client Octavian over the alleged abuse.

“victims of abuse have been silenced now for far too long”

As fans, we too, need to hold musicians accountable. This might come in the form of showing our public support for the victim and focusing on the victim’s account rather than targeting the undeserving spotlight on the accused; or simply choosing to mute the artist on Spotify, therefore, not contributing to the abusive artist’s paycheck.

Ultimately, the decision lies with the individual – there is no “one size fits all” solution to whether or not you should “cancel” your favourite artists. And it all depends on the particular circumstances which makes certain matters complex. But I believe that the abuse allegations made against Octavian and other artists such as XXXTentacion, are too grave to continue to listen to and support.

I choose to stand with the victims of these cases; I choose to listen to the personal accounts of the oppressed. After all, victims of abuse have been silenced for far too long.

It is time to finally hold alleged abusers in the music industry to account.

If you, or anyone you know, are affected by the issues in this article, please follow this link for a comprehensive list of domestic abuse helplines and government guidance.

Shannon Cook

Featured image courtesy of Bogomil Mihaylov on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.