Music Fandoms And “Stan Culture” Take Center Stage In New Eminem Documentary

Ever wonder what's in the minds of music fans? Not just the casual fan of say Drake, but the diehard fans that have formed massive fandoms to support their favorite artist or band. Back in 2000, Eminem released his now iconic song Stan. The song is about an obsessed fan who takes his own life, as well as his girlfriend's, after the Slim Shady artist fails to respond to his letters. While the song was not a true story, it was inspired by his real experiences. Now, in a new Eminem documentary titled "Stan," the rapper will examine music fandoms and "stan culture."

So far, what we know is that Eminem is co-producing the documentary that is due out by the end of the year. In a piece by Consequence Sound, Eminem's longtime manager Paul Rosenberg, along with Stuart Parr from Shady Films talked about what viewers can expect. They said, “Stans will be the opportunity for us to to turn the camera around and ask the audience about being fans — and in some cases, fanatics. This is a study of the relationship between fanbase and artist through the lens of one of Eminem’s most fascinating songs and one of the world’s most important entertainers.”

Renaissance is one of the many apps for music fans, and believe that fandoms are a crucial part of the music industry. These passionate fans are extremely engaged with their favorite artists. They go to concerts, buy merch, boost streaming, and engage with other fans. Of course, like anything, there are the good, the bad, and the ugly among fandoms. Some are known for being strong support communities, and even do charity work. And others are known for their toxic online behavior.

Let's take a little dive into the world of some of the world's most popular fandoms. Here are 7 of them.

One of the most loyal and passionate fandoms out there is Beyonce's Beyhive. If you show up at a Beyonce show, you better abide by the dress code or you will definitely feel left out. During the most recent Renaissance tour, the Beyhive came to slay. I even wore my And don't you dare try to come for the queen herself, because fans don't play about Beyonce. Learn more about the history of the Beyhive here.

Rihanna's fandom is known as the Navy. The name comes from the lyrics of her 2009 track “G4L,” where Rihanna sings, “We're an army / Better yet, a navy / Better yet, crazy.”

When Rihanna was performing the halftime show at the Superbowl last year, Trump said she would be nothing without her stylist, she was bad at everything, and had not talent. Well, he F'd around and found out after Navy went after him.

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Nicki Minaj's Barbz reportedly comes from Nicki being referred to as a "Harajuku Barbie,"  which was shorted to Barbz by her fans. There's been a lot of talk and controversy when it comes to the Barbz, as they've been accused of bullying on several occasions. At one point she posted a message to the Barbz saying, "“Be sure to never threaten anyone on my behalf. Whether on the internet or in person. Whether in jest or not. I don’t & never have condoned that.”

We've all obviously seen Taylor Swift's Swifties everywhere lately. Who knew non-football fans would be watching the Super Bowl just to get a glimpse of Taylor. The term Swifties started to get popular in the late '00s, and Taylor acknowledged the term in a video in 2012 when she said, “They call themselves the ‘Swifties’–it’s adorable." The name became official official when Taylor legally filed the name for trademark in 2017.

Megan Thee Stallion crowned her fandom herself, calling them Hotties. In addition to giving her fans great music, she also shows them love through other ways, including encouraging them to take care of their mental health. She has a website, “Bad Bitches Have Bad Days Too” where she has lots of mental health resources in one place.

Cardi B's fandom is known as the Bardigang. Cardi first coined the term for her fans herself in a tweet made on June 19, 2017. Here's the announcement she made and based on the responses, they loved it!

As a proud new member of the BTS ARMY, I could talk about them forever.  ARMY stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth. In my short time as ARMY, I've not only been catching up on all the content, and there's A LOT, but I've been connecting with other ARMY. I'm someone who is very skeptical of people online, but I have to say that I've made friends with other ARMY, and they're incredible. With the guys all currently serving their mandatory military service, there are lots of jokes about ARMY being "unsupervised," with some acting up. But there are also ARMY who have come together to organize streaming events to keep BTS music on the charts, to hold live events and conversations online, and even meetups. Not only do I love BTS, I've truly come to love ARMY and what we represent. Oh, and not only has BTS won many awards...ARMY has won some fandom awards as well!