Good Music Artists Who are Terrible People

The Top Ten
1 Axl Rose William Bruce Rose Jr., better known as 'Axl Rose', is an American singer born on February 6, 1962, in Lafayette, Indiana. He Is the founder and lead singer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He is a celebrated but controversial figure in the world of rock.

Domestic abuser, racist, dick to bandmates and fans alike, a diva, need I go on?

Self Explanatory

2 John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (9 October 1940 - 8 December 1980) was an English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. He was assassinated by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980 at age 40. Lennon was characterised by the rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, writing and drawings, on film, and in interviews. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

The Chainsmokers aren't good artists. It's just the same generic stuff with no originality whatsoever. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I've heard stories about John Lennon being racist and abusive. Again, I can't say for sure. It's just what I heard. He was an undeniably talented musician though.

"I have to say that, from my point of view, I felt he was a hypocrite", "Dad could talk about peace and love out loud to the world but he could never show it to the people who supposedly meant the most to him: his wife and son. How can you talk about peace and love and have a family in bits and pieces��"no communication, adultery, divorce? You can't do it, not if you're being true and honest with yourself" - Julian Lennon

This is an interesting one. I searched this up and John Lennon was actually a very bad person. This may sound shocking, I know, I was very shocked, but he openly atmitted that he used to beat women. Yes. That actually happened.

At least he tried reforming as person in the end (I think).

3 The Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American DJ and production duo consisting of Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart. The EDM-pop duo achieved a breakthrough with their 2014 song "#Selfie", which was a top twenty single in several countries.

They probably are terrible people. Shame their music was never good, and the laughable irony of them starting a career on mocking the shallowness of modern culture while then keeping themselves out of one hit wonderland by pandering to that same culture.

I believe you on the second part... But they are nowhere near good artists.

Read an interview. They are the most unlikable bros I have ever seen.

But The Chainsmokers aren't Good Artists!

4 Adam Levine Adam Noah Levine is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist for the Los Angeles pop rock band Maroon 5. ...read more.

What did Adam Levine do?

5 Kanye West Ye (born Kanye Omari West; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer. He is regarded as one of the most influential, as well as controversial, artists of the 21st century. ...read more.

He's not that terrible. At least he knows that he's a prick, and he's referred to this personality in many of his songs. I don't care what people say about him. Kanye is a genius when it comes to music.

Not sure he should be placed this high. His music stopped being good a while back and he himself while an ass, isn't as horrible as some of the people bellow him (Axl Rose, Jimmy Page).

Kanye West is talented and pretty good at singing. But he can be a dick sometimes and he arrogant and think he's god.

Ha ha, Kanye West is definitely not a good music artist.

6 Jimmy Page James Patrick Page is an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin.

Kidnapping and raping a minor is pretty awful to me, not to mention he never got punished for it. Great guitarist though.

Come on guys. He had a WILLING relationship with a minor. And was a really nice guy.

7 Deadmau5 Joel Thomas Zimmerman (a.k.a. deadmau5) is a Canadian DJ producer, formerly a web developer, who produces a wide variety of electronic musical genres, such as electro and dubstep, but is best known for popularizing work in the areas of progressive house and electrohouse, along with the genres themselves. Notable songs include Ghosts n' Stuff, I Remember, Raise Your Weapon, Strobe and Professional Griefers.

Terrible person, sure. But he is not a good musician because a computer is not an instrument.

Putting deadmau5 over Kanye is pretty warranted, but is bound to get Pos to... get mad.

Hey what did he do? He is a good artist but what makes you think he's a jerk in real life.-DarkBoi-X

8 Roger Waters George Roger Waters is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He is mostly known for being the secondary lead vocalist and bassist of Pink Floyd.

Dick to bandmates? Check. Hypocritically whinges about creating bonds between people while holding petty grudges against people like Andrew Lloyd Webber & Bon Jovi? Check. Supports Hamas, thereby making him a terrorist sympathiser? Check. Has the hutzpah to release terrible music post Floyd while complaining about how Floyd's work post-1983 is? Check. Great bassist he may be, but a dick? Absolutely check.

9 Major Lazer
10 Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur, also known as 2Pac, was an American rapper and actor born on June 16, 1971 in East Harlem, New York. Tupac sold over 75 million records worldwide and has been referred to in multiple major publications such as Rolling Stone as one of the greatest music artists of all time. 2Pac was assassinated on September 1996 at the age of 25. ...read more.
The Contenders
11 Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and was the president of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru in 1985 and later found fame with the gangsta rap group N.W.A. The group popularized explicit lyrics in hip hop to detail the violence of street life. During the early 1990s, Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a subgenre of hip hop characterized by a synthesizer foundation and slow, ...read more.

Great producer and no doubt an important part of rap history. However, beating up a woman is utterly detestable, making him the Chris Brown of his day.

Violently beat up several of his girlfriends.

Nearly killed his girlfriend.

What did he do?

12 Drake Aubrey Drake Graham, known professionally as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, born on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Canada. He started his career on Canadian reality show "Degrassi: The Next Generation".

Holy crap he screwed with a minor? That's pretty bad. It just doesn't feel like him.

He was literally just released from jail

He's too soft and innocent.

13 Varg Vikernes Louis Cachet, (born Kristian Vikernes) more popularly known as Varg Vikernes, is a Norwegian musician, writer, and a convicted murderer and arsonist. He is known as the frontman of the one-man band Burzum (named after a word in the Black Speech, which is a fictional language in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings), which is considered one of the most influential bands in black metal history. He's also known for murdering Mayhem guitarist Euronymous and was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 1994.

Surprised how low this guy is. I understand that people like The Chainsmokers & Kanye West are douches, but surely that must pale in comparison to someone who killed a bandmate, burned churches and is a Neo-Nazi! He may not be as popular as some of the people higher than him, but as opposed to the others on this list being prats, this guy is evil and insane. I know who I would choose.

He literally burned down so many churches and he also stabbed Euronymous, a member of the band "Mayhem" in 1993. He's not a good person at all.

He does make some pretty decent neo-medieval music, but he's just awful and cruel as a person. It's a shame he had to waste his music career.

Murderer and pure psychopath!

14 Michael Jackson Michael Jackson (Michael Joseph Jackson; August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, and songwriter. He passed away from cardiac arrest caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose on June 25, 2009. He donated (at least) a remarkable 500,000,000 dollars to charity. Michael is also known as The King of Pop (a title given to him by Elizabeth Taylor) or under the initials MJ. Dubbed the King of Pop, he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. ...read more.

Oh my god, for the last time, he didn't molest those kids. How many times do we have to say it?!

He used to be a good person but after his song Dirty Dianna, he became a total jerk.

We all know his pedophile allegations.

There isn't strong enough proof.

15 Bob Marley Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley was a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim.
16 David Bowie David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie (January 8, 1947 - January 10, 2016) was an English singer born in London, the son of a fundraiser and a waitress. He is credited for his experimental and creative musical discography which has won praise and accolades for many critics and fans. The man who the world knew as David Bowie was an actor, a painter, a philosopher, and many other things. But first and foremost, and what he was known for most, he was a rock star, covering every genre from psychedelic folk to industrial. His influence on fashion, music, and pop culture in general remains as his legacy--along, of course, with his unforgettable music.
17 Ian Watkins Ian Watkins is a Welsh singer and convicted sex offender, best known as the former vocalist for the rock band Lostprophets. He was convicted of sexually assaulting multiple young children and babies, and was sentenced to 29 years in prison.

I heard a Lostprophets song and it was actually pretty good, but this guy is sick.

Great musician, awful person

He's a pedophile.

18 Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. He died on 18 March 2017.
19 Euronymous Øystein Aarseth (1968-1993), who went by the pseudonym Euronymous, was a Norwegian guitarist and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Euronymous was stabbed to death by band member Varg Vikernes in August 1993. Euronymous was a controversial figure in black metal. He claimed to be a theistic satanist and was against individualism, compassion, peace, happiness and fun. He also claimed that he wanted to spread sorrow, hatred and evil. Another controversial thing he did was that he took pictures of Dead's corpse and used one of them for the front cover of Mayhem's live album Dawm of the Black Hearts. He stated that Dead's suicide was used to foster Mayhem's evil image.

Burned down churches and disrespected bandmates, including Dead who after being found was photographed by Euronymous to use on one of Mayhem's album covers. How lovely. Didn't call the cops at first either.

Looks like a wrestler.

20 R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), known professionally as R. Kelly, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and convicted sex offender. He has been credited with helping to redefine R&B and hip hop, earning nicknames such as "the King of R&B", "the King of Pop-Soul", and the "Pied Piper of R&B." ...read more.

Had some good songs in his early days but he is definitely a terrible person.

21 Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas.
22 Chris Brown Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows from a young age. He is most well known for his physical assault towards the singer Rihanna in 2009. He is also known for many hit singles, such as "Kiss Kiss", "Run It!", "Forever", "Deuces", "Look At Me Now", "Loyal", "Ayo", and "Back to Sleep".

Kinda obvious, isn't it? Not only did he viscously abuse his then girlfriend Rihanna, but all the subsequent things he's done (like getting into other scuffles, avoiding community service, parking in disabled spaces) makes him even more unlikable. Scumbag.

Don't know what he did wrong, but I'll take everyone's word for it.

Terrible person? Check. Good music artist? Not at all!

Good artist terrible as a person

23 Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber (born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He currently resides in Ontario, Canada and is Christian. He is the son of author Pattie Mallette. ...read more.

He’s not that terrible of an artist, but probably one of the worst people in music minus pedophiles and murderers.

Terrible artist AND person

24 Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to both great success and initial controversy. ...read more.
25 Slash Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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