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A number one record. Millions of followers on social media. More money than one can count. For many of us, these are problems that we’d gladly welcome into our life. But for many young artists, they are choosing to ditch the problems that come along with the money and fame to focus on — themselves.

One can only imagine the amount of stress and exhaustion that comes with celebrity in 2019. The constant invasion of privacy and social media critics can wear on a person’s mental capacity. We’ve seen numerous instances of celebrities expressing the desire to step away from the spotlight. In 2005 when Dave Chappelle reportedly walked away from his number one comedy show on Comedy Central, fans were stunned, confused and disappointed. But when it later came out that Chappelle cited exhaustion, industry pressure to behave in certain ways, as well as missing his old life as reasons for quitting the show, it began to paint a more complex picture of the mental olympics celebrities are forced to play.

According to recent studies, suicides for youth and young adults has skyrocketed, with young people between the ages of 15 to 24 being 33% more likely to attempt suicide. The Pew Research Center cites that 1 in 5 teens have experienced cyberbullying, which is roughly 59% of all teens.

We know that people on social media can be cruel; the culture welcomes criticism and often blunt, vicious commentary. So it's not really a surprise that young celebrities are experiencing these things and speaking out.

In a recent social media post, Summer Walker announced, “I’ve decided y'all don’t deserve me … I knew from day one I was to real for this s**t.” Fans were saddened, but many understood. In an industry where women in particular are being asked to be sexually explicit and cater toward the male gaze, Summer denounced the idea that she needed to change to fit anyone’s preconceived notions of who she is. For Walker, being anything less than authentic isn’t worth the hassle. This comes just weeks after she took to her social media asking fans to make her album number one — and they did.

In September, Lil Nas X, whose song, “Old Town Road,” spent 17 weeks at number one on the Billboard charts, stated in a social media post, “It's been a wild 7 months and I’m ready to take a little time off.” This came on the heels of the young rapper coming out as queer and amidst battling controversy over his right to be included in the country music canon.

Though some fans are supportive, offering words of encouragement, others are hyper critical of the stars and their reasoning. It begs the question of work ethic and stamina that many verteran artists and musicians have championed in this industry. The “rise and grind” and “25/8” hustle mentality that has served so many seems to be killing our youth. Are they lazy? Weak? How is it that Beyoncé can boast of working 24 hours straight with no bathroom breaks (Well she’s Beyonce, duh!) while other artists are too tasked to complete a 20 city tour? Some might say that this generation is too entitled and too lazy to work hard for anything of significance. After all, this was their dream, right? But could it be that this generation has the emotional intelligence that we lacked?

It’s been years in the making, but Black people are finally talking about mental health, advocating for therapy and acknowledging generational trauma. So why are we so critical of individuals who are putting their coping skills to use?

When Bronx rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie says, “there’s a lot of things I want to do in life and its just moving too fast for me to focus,” certainly we can sympathize with wanting the opportunity to go through life at our own pace. It takes courage to walk away from the things that no longer serve us, even if these things are appealing to everyone else. Fame is one thing, but it isn’t the only thing. Perhaps instead of criticizing, we could learn a lot from these young people about prioritizing self-care.

brandywashere_

Writing since November 2019 · 1 story contributed