A TikTok band by the name of the Tramp Stamps are the centre of a pretty big online controversy right now.
According to Vox, the Nashville-based trio debuted back in November last year, lip-syncing to y2k garage rock track from Freaky Friday. Yes all the Lindsay Lohan vibes. Naturally, the internet became obsessed.
Not before long, things took a turn and TikTokers began accusing the Tramp Stamps of what they’re being referred to as “industry plants”, basically off the back of the fact that their website appears “PR-ready” and their Instagram feed is “far too polished for a seemingly independent trio of musicians who happened to meet each other at a bar.”
As sourced by Vox, one totally suss user got deep in the search and snapped in a TikTok vid, “It’s almost like it’s a bunch of people who were like, theatre majors and shit who had rich parents and now they’re co-opting riot grrrl aesthetics that people literally dedicate their lives to for money.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@hard_cope/video/6950516969971993861?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowPkYzorjLsFx68NqjZQjSQcNVXq1ALAtQLyzE0H%2BFp1nAxxqVlL9lcbKkiefvzzzyGgA%3D&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAt4drZqBamV_Q9BZI3KNBtjF_jvbqYLYgkhFrKnAVgtWfn0OhW68hoiG7U0YQuNtv&share_item_id=6920770473924005126&share_link_id=7ABDD329-93A9-4642-8138-664BF54AE8C0×tamp=1611661685&tt_from=copy&u_code=dbil25h3227bad&user_id=6811558158504150021&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&source=h5_m&_r=1&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en
Once people got nosey, that’s when legit issues actually surfaced. Apparently two of the members have a deal with Prescription Songs which is owned by Dr. Luke – who was accused of sexual assault by Kesha. And then there were also problematic tweets that surfaced, involving one member saying the n-word.
While there has been much critique on both sides of the coin, those who have trust issues with the band after learning that they weren’t as grassroots as they claimed to be, others are arguing that the Tramps Stamps aren’t the only band who weren’t as authentic as they claimed to be. And therefore the hate they are receiving is pretty unwarranted.
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Naturally the band took to Instagram to address every facet of the situation with a post. They began, “Hi fuckers. TRAMPS STAMPS here. The misinformation and lies that feed this cancel culture are so fucking toxic. We are 3 women who have been writing and producing music for many years, busting our asses in the music business while building our personal careers. We all crossed paths and wrote together as a band for the first time in February 2020, and our unfiltered conversations together led to the songs you are so pressed about right now.”
Anyone is mad when they realise something they’ve been told was actually a lie the whole time . So of course TikTokers are going to be mad. While some of the most successful artists in history have been “industry plants” that didn’t stop them from dominating the world. But the TikTok era is a whole new ball game. And some flimsy marketing geared towards angsty teenagers who are basically CIA-level investigators isn’t going to fool anyone.
So where will the band go from here? For more on this topic, follow the Classic Rock Observer.
Check out ‘I’d Rather Die’ by the Tramp Stramps.
