“Separate the art from the artist. The music didn’t hurt anyone.” 

It’s undeniable that music is an important part of the human race. While it’s hard to let go of music that brings joy and peace, when an artist pulls their identity into their songs and a simple act of pressing play can cause harm to others, it’s better to play a different song.

Music artist David Burke, popularly known as “d4vd,” was exposed for being allegedly associated in a murder investigation April 2026 and was formally arrested April 16. Although any money produced by listeners does not fund or help d4vd’s legal process, it’s morally wrong to listen to his song because his personhood is interwoven with his lyrics. He was charged for first-degree murder of a young girl, and no one should want to listen to a song that was created by someone who could have committed that crime. Prosecutors and investigators have connected his alleged crimes to the lyrics of his songs and are working to use them as evidence.

D4vd’s most popular song, “Romantic Homicide,” includes lyrics and imagery noticeably similar to his convictions. While being aware of d4vd’s alleged crimes and connections to dark lyrics, listeners should ethically avoid his songs. Although music is created by an artist’s creative expression, they can stem from personal experiences and beliefs.

Another example of this would be music artist Robert Kelly, known as “R. Kelly.” R. Kelly was convicted of multiple crimes in 2022 and 2023, resulting in a 30-year sentence. Although fans argue that his songs be separated from himself, many of R. Kelly’s songs were written from his experience with his own crimes. Similarly to d4vd, songs cannot be separated from the artist when they are written as an outlet for the artists’ emotions and illegal personal desires.

The focus isn’t about an action performed by an artist years ago. It is about the artist today and how their music represents their current actions.

An artist streaming songs on Spotify typically earns $30 to $50 for every 10,000 streams. That’s $3,000 to $5,000 every 1 million streams. Every stream matters. It’s crucial to know who and what you, as a consumer, are providing money and funding for.

There’s two important questions when it comes to consuming art. Does listening to this art endorse the artist’s current actions? And is it ethically justifiable to consume the art of this artist, knowing that the proceeds will go to them?

To separate an artist from their music is to separate an artist from their identity. Once a song is released, it does not only belong to the listeners; it stays a part of the creator and their character. It’s okay to press skip. There will always be other art and other artists.