00s | 90s | 80s | Pop Culture | Music
10 Insanely Successful Musicians That Tons Of People Hate For No Good Reason
It seems like no matter how popular you get in your field, there's always going to be people who just don't like you for whatever reason. In the case of these 10 artists, they've made millions on their music, but also have millions of haters.
Madonna
She's quite possibly the most iconic pop star of all time (or at the very least of the 80s), but someone with as... colorful a history as Madonna is pretty much guaranteed to attract a legion of haters.
From conservative groups who decried her provocative image, to people rolling their eyes at her numerous phases (like when she suddenly developed a British accent), there are probably just as many people who are over Madonna's whole schtick as there are who love it.
The Police
One of the most influential British rock bands of all time is also probably one of the most contentious. The hatred here pretty much all comes down to Sting's voice: you either seem to love it or you feel like he's screeching at the top of his lungs for what feels like hours on end.
U2
They routinely sell out stadiums and have recorded some of the biggest-selling rock albums ever released. Their concerts are also basically political rallies, complete with Bono spending more time going on about his personal views (and massive ego) than actually singing.
It's not entirely surprising that they have just as many fans as they have decriers, but what do you think of 'em?
Green Day
The modern pop-punk scene would basically be nothing without these guys, and they not only released some of the world's greatest slacker anthems ever on Dookie, but also absolutely exploded with a punk rage on 2005's American Idiot.
However, it's easy to notice after a while that a lot of their tunes just sound a lot like each other, and on top of that... a lot of them are pretty stupid when you break it down.
These next few bands seem to get as much hate as they do love...
Bon Jovi
The band has a list of hits the length of my arm, and are so popular and iconic that they were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by a landslide of votes!
That being said, I could really go the entire rest of my life without ever hearing a bunch of drunk girls at a bar screaming out the chorus to "Livin' on a Prayer" at deafening volumes again.
Seal
On the positive side, Seal gave us "Kiss From A Rose." On the negative side... Seal gave us "Kiss From A Rose."
Blink-182
No band has ever had such a storied and long-running career on songs that are basically meant to appeal to the ADD, potty-mouthed sixth-grader in all of us quite like these guys have. You're either into the joke or you're not, but let's face it, we can all agree that Tom's voice is nasally and annoying.
Barenaked Ladies
A friend of mine used to refer to this band as "generic white people: the band" and honestly I can kinda see where he's coming from. It's kind of impressive that a band that doesn't really have their own unique sound can get this popular.
Journey
F*** "Don't Stop Believin'." That is all.
Nickelback
Possibly the most popular rock band to come out of Canada since Rush, the band has nevertheless found themselves as the butt of literally millions of jokes across the internet. Most of it seems to be directed at singer Chad Kroeger, because honestly it's hard to see what makes people hate the band just THAT much.