It seems that people have developed a VERY strange habit of dubbing every dead musician a “legend.” It doesn’t matter if they were a one-hit wonder or if their music was only popular in a small niche of the population. If they’ve passed away, they’ve automatically been deemed a MUSICAL GENIUS!

This trend has led to some interesting situations. For example, imagine a world where Ice Spice would tragically be killed in a plane crash. Overnight, she’ll be hailed as one of the greatest female musicians of all time, greater than Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, and Taylor Swift COMBINED. People who never gave her music a second thought would SUDDENLY claim to be lifelong fans, just because it’s the cool thing to do!

Of course, there are some GENUINELY TALENTED MUSICIANS who have passed away and deserve the “legend” label. But for every Kurt Cobain or Bob Marley, there are DOZENS of dead musicians who DO NOT deserve to be elevated to such a status!

Maybe it’s time to start reserving the “legend” title for TRULY EXCEPTIONAL MUSICIANS, regardless of whether they’re alive or dead. Let’s celebrate their accomplishments while they’re still with us, instead of waiting until it’s too late. And for the musicians who didn’t quite make the cut? Let’s remember them fondly for their contributions to music history, but without the inflated labels.