10 Disgraced Musicians Who Are Still Active

6ix9ine

No, the artist sometimes known as “Tekashi 6ix9ine” isn’t on here for his extensive social media trolling, or his public feuds with other hip hop performers. No, the man born Daniel Hernandez is here as a result of his disturbing 2015 guilty plea to abuse of a minor, as well as a two-year prison sentence for his involvement with the violent Nine Trey Gangsters. While we’ll spare you the details (those are available elsewhere), just know that the rapper’s considerable legal drama has hardly impeded his recording career. Since his release from prison, 6ix9ine has released three albums — which, with each successive drop, have garnered less and less critical and commercial recognition.

Kodak Black

A central figure in popularizing the 2010s phenomenon of “mumble rap,” troubled performer Black has, like 6ix9ine, had his fair share of legal difficulties and run-ins with the law. Over several arrests throughout the course of a decade, the rapper has been charged with battery, weapons possession, armed robbery, and drug trafficking. Perhaps the most damaging charge to hit Black’s career, though, would be in response to a 2016 incident in which he was accused of sexual assault, eventually being given a plea bargain and sentenced to probation. Later, in 2019, Black was sentenced to four years in prison for making false statements about possessing weapons. Throughout his legal ordeals, the rapper has remained prolific, releasing seven albums since 2017.

Robin Thicke

While R&B singer Thicke hasn’t faced legal problems in the vein of Kodak Black or 6ix9ine, his reputation has, in the latter part of his career, taken a number of serious beatings from which Thicke has struggled to recover. The son of actors Alan Thicke and Gloria Loring, Thicke’s big mainstream breakthrough would also prove to be his downfall: his song “Blurred Lines,” a massive hit in 2013, received harsh backlash for its apparent disregard of consent in an intimate encounter. His raunchy performance with Miley Cyrus at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards didn’t help matters, nor did model Emily Ratajkowski’s later accusations that Thicke had groped her during the “Blurred Lines” video shoot.

Ted Nugent

Before we lace into the outspoken hard rock guitarist, we’ll first preface by saying that there’s nothing inherently wrong with being politically conservative. After all, debate and open discussion are integral parts of a healthy democracy! However, Nugent has often taken his political passion several steps too far. For example, in criticizing former president Barack Obama, Nugent publicly mused that he was “beginning to wonder if it would have been best had the South won the Civil War.” This was in addition to referring to the president as a “communist-educated, communist-nurtured subhuman mongrel.” As if that wasn’t bad enough, Nugent has openly admitted to sleeping with multiple underage girls, as well as trying to marry a 17-year-old in 1978.

DaBaby

This is one fall from grace that had music fans everywhere scratching their heads and going… huh? Charlotte, North Carolina native Jonathan “DaBaby” Kirk broke out onto the hip hop scene in a major way in 2019, in which his viral single “Suge” and subsequent second album “Kirk” propelled him to superstardom. Several Billboard smash hits later, including the blockbuster Roddy Ricch collaboration “Rockstar,” DaBaby inexplicably torpedoed his career by making unprompted, deeply homophobic remarks at the 2021 edition of the Rolling Loud Festival in Florida. This led to many of his hits being pulled from radio play, as well as several scheduled gigs abruptly cancelled. Since then, the rapper’s music hasn’t reached the same heights as his earlier work.

Ryan Adams

Don’t blame yourself if you thought we meant the Canadian radio-rock mainstay — that’s Bryan Adams. Ryan Adams is the alt-country, indie-folk renaissance man whose prolific output in music across multiple genres earned him rave reviews and a devoted fanbase. Adams’ recording career has been marked by the occasional experimental gimmick, like covering Taylor Swift’s 2014 album “1989” in its entirety. However, Adams’ warm critical notices came to a screeching halt when seven women accused the musician of harassment once they had rejected his romantic advances. While his reputation received a significant bruising, especially in the #MeToo era, Adams has remained very active, releasing 15 (yes, one-five) albums since the scandal.

Travis Scott

Following the release of his star-studded 2015 album “Rodeo,” Scott became a bona fide A-lister, releasing a flurry of commercially successful, critically well-received albums in the subsequent years. However, a damaging — and deadly — 2021 incident threatened to permanently derail Scott’s well-established career. During that year’s edition of his Houston-based Astroworld Festival, the rapper continued his typically rowdy stage show — despite obvious signs that something was amiss. What followed was a tragic crowd crush which saw 10 people killed, and hundreds more injured. Although Scott managed to avoid criminal charges, the festival was permanently cancelled, and he lost out on several sponsorships and collaborations.

Marilyn Manson

You might be somewhat surprised to learn that this eternal provocateur’s career wasn’t damaged by his early career controversies; rather, the metal musician thrived off of them. Blending grotesque visual imagery with thoughtful social commentary, Manson and his band made lemonade out of their seemingly constant public spotlighting in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. One scandal that Manson couldn’t flip in his favor was the disturbing 2021 allegations of abuse leveled against him by his former fiancée, actor Evan Rachel Wood. Manson did not end up having charges filed against him, and eventually released a new album in 2024, touring extensively to promote it.

Chris Brown

Pop and R&B singer Brown entered the music industry with a splash, dazzling audiences with his vocals, dancing skills, and charismatic stage presence. His debut single, “Run It!,” topped the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first male artist to accomplish that feat in 10 years. Brown continued the streak with “Exclusive,” his next album. All the while, Brown and fellow musician Rihanna had established themselves as a power couple, raising each of their respective profiles. That is, until Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault charges, stemming from an argument the two had just ahead of that year’s Grammy Awards. While Brown has continued to make music, landing a few hits in that time, his career has never returned to its pre-scandal levels.

Kanye West

You might have seen this one coming. But how could Kanye not top our list? Once upon a time, West was considered basically “uncancellable,” bouncing back from scandals that would’ve tanked any other artist’s career in a heartbeat. These included, among others, interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV VMAs, referring to slavery as a “choice,” and his endorsement of President Donald Trump, which was chastised by many in the recording industry. West’s relative untouchability seemed to come to an end in 2022, following a series of openly antisemitic remarks made on social media. Although several brands he had partnered with dropped him, plummeting his net worth, West has defiantly continued to pump out music at a furious pace.


Are there any disgraced artists we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!