Music Stars Nobody Cares About Anymore
The music industry is one fickle business. While some artists have skyrocketed to success and stayed there, others have fallen from the top of their game and plummeted into relative obscurity. The curtains have closed and everyone has packed up and gone home. That's not to say these talented entertainers won't make comebacks in the future. In fact, we hope they do, but for the following celebs, including Grammy-winning artists, the self-proclaimed "Queen of Rap," and a guy once crowned the "King of R&B," things aren't looking so mighty at the moment. Whether they've turned the public off with bizarre stunts or simply retreated from the spotlight and faded into the background, these artists' careers aren't what they used to be. (Hey, it happens to the best of them.) Let's take a closer look at some music stars the masses don't seem to care as much about anymore.
Hilary Duff
Disney Channel star Hilary Duff used to be everywhere, but that's not the case anymore. As the years have ticked on, the former Lizzie McGuire actress seems to have focused more on her personal life than her professional one. She got married, had a son, got a divorce, had a daughter with another love (via Bustle). There's absolutely nothing wrong with prioritizing one's family, but when Duff did turn her attention to the music industry again, her fans had seemingly moved on.
Duff's 2014 single, "Chasing The Sun," was supposed to be her big comeback after a lengthy break following the release of 2007's Dignity, but the single peaked at only No. 79 on the Billboard charts. The same year, the "So Yesterday" singer told BuzzFeed that releasing a new album and touring was her "ultimate" goal, but the way things are going, maybe she'd have better luck exploring her interest in interior design. Just a thought.
Christina Milian
Christina Milian is a jack of many trades — singer, actress, and host — but alas, she may be a master of none. Despite having a series of classic hits such as "Dip It Low" and "Say I," as well as roles in popular films such as Love Don't Cost a Thing and Be Cool, she hasn't done anything major enough to catch and hold our attention in what feels like ages. There was the E! reality show Christina Milian: Turned Up, which premiered in 2015, but the series received mixed reviews and only lasted two seasons.
She put a positive spin on the show's cancellation. "My family and I were bummed but I know that when one door closes, another one opens," Milan told Maxim in 2017. She also said she was working on new music, practicing her DJ skills, writing, and "getting [her] fitness on" so hopefully, we'll hear and see more from her in the future.
Bow Wow
Once upon a time, fans couldn't get enough of the Mickey Mouse-chain-wearing rapper Bow Wow. He not only delivered back-to-back hits in the early 2000s, such as "Bounce With Me" and "Like You," but he also gave us the cult classic Like Mike. However, this guy has since become the subject of widespread ridicule and backlash, thanks to a series of awkward stunts and ignorant comments.
In 2017, Bow Wow posted a photo of a private jet and seemed to insinuate that he was about to board it to make press runs for the WE Tv reality series Growing Up Hip Hop. Turns out, the photo wasn't even his (via The Verge) and Bow Wow was actually on a commercial flight. That prompted the creation of the #BowWowChallenge, a social media game where people create their own deceptive photos. Just when the jokes and criticism started to slow down, social media users picked up the game again in 2018, after the "Shortie Like Mine" rapper apparently got caught lying about having a club in his house (via HotNewHipHop). Now, it seems like people just can't take Bow Wow or his music seriously. In 2018, "YEAAHH" failed to chart, and its video hasn't produced nearly as many views as his older stuff. Bow Wow still wants to release music, but focusing on his line of luxurious durags might be a better idea.
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson's music moment ended a long time ago — as in 2004, when she was caught lip-syncing on Saturday Night Live. Though plenty of big stars have been lambasted for not singing live, the blowback against Jessica Simpson's little sis was especially intense because it was something Ashlee had vowed to never do.
Listeners were apparently so over Ashlee that she supposedly couldn't even sell her 2014 wedding photos — she married Diana Ross' son, Evan Ross, in August 2014. Somehow, the pair managed to snag its own reality show Ashlee+Evan, and she reportedly opened up on the series about the lasting negative effects the SNL incident had on her music career. "For me I went back in, I made a second record, it was number one," she said (via People). "And I made a third record and I toured all the amphitheaters ... and I don't even think the world knows that I got to that place."
Nelly Furtado
It's hard to imagine that Nelly Furtado once enjoyed massive worldwide success, considering how lackluster the reception for her music has been as of late. None of her projects, as of this writing, have replicated the appeal of Furtado's 2006 album Loose, which featured the Timbaland-produced earworm "Promiscuous" and sold 219,000 copies (via The Huffington Post). In fact, she hasn't even gotten close to that level again.
Furtado's 2012 album, The Spirit Indestructible, debuted at No. 79 on the Billboard chart and only sold 6,000 copies (per The Huffington Post), and 2017's The Ride debuted at No. 153 with a disappointing 1,814 copies sold, according to Chart Data. The singer addressed those weak numbers in an interview with HuffPost Canada: "Luckily, I have had a lot of ups and downs in my career on a commercial level, so I'm very bulletproof in that way." That's the spirit! Now let's get that career on another upswing.
Nelly
Remember him? The "Country Grammar" musician has one of the most successful rap albums of all time, and yet his career has certainly declined. The shift started around the release of Nelly's 2010 album 5.0. Though the album produced the popular track "Just A Dream," the project received mixed reviews. "What inherent charm and playfulness he began with seems to have been largely been burned off on that album," said Slant magazine, warning listeners about its "crushing blandness." Dang!
The album didn't sell nearly as well as Nelly's earlier projects. According to Billboard, 5.0 moved just 63,000 copies its first week — a number that was apparently so disappointing that the rapper went on a Twitter rant about his label, Universal Motown. His follow-up album, 2013's M.O. was just as big a disappointment, selling just over 15,000 copies its first week (via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Nelly at least appears to be more relaxed about sales expectations these days, telling VH1 (via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch), "I don't take it personal, I think it's just the way life is."
Iggy Azalea
With rapper T.I. acting as her mentor and the No. 1 single "Fancy" under her belt, it once seemed like Iggy Azalea had what it takes to become a longtime talent. Unfortunately, she hasn't managed to maintain the momentum, and T.I. has jumped ship. Azalea is now arguably better known for a string of controversies. In 2015, some of her old tweets emerged, and many classified those messages as racist and homophobic. One tweet (per the Daily Mail) said: "When guys whisper in [each other's] ears I always think that's kinda homo." The LGBTQ community protested, forcing her to withdraw from a headlining performance at Pittsburgh Pride. Then her "Great Escape" tour was canceled. The rap star told Seventeen that was her decision. "I just feel I deserve a break," she said.
By 2018, Azalea appeared ready for another takeover. She joined forces with Tyga for a fun track titled "Kream" and announced her "Bad Girls Tour," but the world didn't appear interested anymore. "Kream" stalled at No. 96 on the Billboard chart and the tour was canceled amid talks of poor ticket sales (via Variety). Her music career might be donezo, but hey, she did make some headlines for modeling in 2018.
Desiigner
Desiigner landed on the world's radar with 2015's "Panda." Not long after its debut, Kanye West took Desiigner under his wing, signing the rap newcomer to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint (via HotNewHipHop). It was a boost that, according to XXL, helped push the track to No. 1 on the charts, and it went on to snag quadruple platinum status. Desiigner killed any talk that he might be a one-hit wonder when he released his XXL freestyle-turned-single "Timmy Turner," which earned platinum certification, but then all that hype kind of fizzled.
By 2018, the New York rapper was ready to release new music and took to Twitter to announce it. He told his followers he would share a song titled "Urgent" when he received 50,000 retweets on his post. Nearly three days later, the post hadn't even cracked 2,000 retweets, according to DJBooth. Oops, that didn't go as planned. It looks like Desiigner may just be a two-hit wonder.
R. Kelly
You might as well stick a fork in R. Kelly. At one point, he was crowned the King of R&B, and he wrote songs for other R&B legends such as Michael Jackson and Aaliyah. He also has a trove of No. 1 albums and an impressive collection of gold and platinum-selling singles, but behind the music, the man's name has been tarnished by a harrowing string of sexual misconduct allegations and charges.
A 2019 Lifetime documentary called Surviving R. Kelly put the spotlight on a string of lawsuits and settlements and accusations involving underage girls that date back to the 1990s — the same period of time when Kelly married a then-15-year-old Aaliyah. The documentary also sparked renewed interest in Kelly's infamous sex tape scandal involving a 14-year-old girl. Though R. Kelly has always maintained his innocence in the face of all the allegations (via Rolling Stone) and sexual abuse charges, the court of public opinion has apparently made up its mind. He was dropped by Sony amidst boycotts of his music and poor ticket sales. Without a label behind him, R. Kelly was forced to delay his upcoming studio album, but let's be real — most people weren't checking for it anyway.
Fergie
Fergie's first attempt at a solo career was wildly successful. Her 2006 album The Dutchess spawned various No. 1 singles such as "London Bridge" and "Big Girls Don't Cry" and sold nearly 4 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan (via Billboard), but her second effort, 2017's The Double Dutchess, didn't fare so well. None of the album's lead singles cracked the Top 20 on the Billboard charts, and about a month after its release, the project had only sold about 20,000 units, according to Chart Data. Eventually, people stopped talking about Fergie and her second solo project altogether.
In February 2018, Fergie had an opportunity to drive attention to her music when she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the NBA All-Star Game, but unfortunately, her rendition was not well received. In fact, she attracted widespread laughter and criticism for her sultry-sounding performance. The "Glamorous" singer seemingly bowed out at that point, telling TMZ that she "honestly tried [her] best." Though she landed a good gig hosting The Four with P. Diddy, DJ Khaled, and Meghan Trainor, she's still not generating a lot of positive buzz to date.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is a veteran emcee. She started making waves in the rap world in the late 2000s with the help of Lil Wayne, and over the course of her dazzling career, the "Good Form" starlet broke the record for "most top 10 hits among women on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart;" became the first woman to have 100 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; scored multiple business deals; and dished some memorable verses that will live on in infamy. However, she's also attracted some heavy blows, too.
Fellow rapper Remy Ma's 2017 diss track, "Shether," garnered a lot of attention, and Minaj was also accused of slut-shaming in a July 2018 Elle cover story. That December, Minaj released her fourth album, Queen, to mediocre reviews. According to The Fader, the were "flashes" of her signature "brilliance," but the album sometimes "feels like she has spent more time thinking about the people she perceives as being her competition than she has actually competing with them." Fans apparently weren't into it, because a source told Page Six that ticket sales for Minaj's postponed tour were "in the toilet." When she canceled a show in France due to electrical issues in March 2019, angry fans reportedly began chanting: "Cardi B! Cardi B! Cardi B!" Ouch!