That skill that you’re thinking of is money. We don’t live in a meritocracy. I think it’s easier to apply your thinking to superstars up to the 90s where to be a star, you had to have some star power. You can’t tell me drake or Cole has the skill to touch people or charisma that Pac and MJ had. Really no one today does. Marketing is an art in itself and it’s an extremely powerful thing. I guess I wish I was innocent enough to think how you do. Travis in particular is proof that you don’t need that skill to touch people. Man probably can’t look another human in the eyes or speak a complete sentence, ZERO star power but the money and marketing convinced people to get on board

I disagree with that. Call great artist impact audience they shouldn’t have. Name another arena where the greatest haven’t been the most influential as well?

I believe that comparing art fields to other fields doesn’t work. Most fields aren’t as subjective as art. I don’t believe there’s such thing as a best artist

Let’s do art. The greatest artist (in the paint world) don’t lack influence.

The greatest soul who don’t sell a lot of records such as Sade and D angelo still are influential.

The best dancers have influenced dancers. The best cooks have influenced cooks.

Rap is the only arena where we think the best could lack influence and that’s backward.

In my opinion there is no greatest painter so the greatest one can’t have influence because it doesn’t exist. There are no criteria to decide who the best painter is

I don’t believe there is a greatest soul artist either but it seems to contradict your point to start using the “influence” argument when sales numbers aren’t enough because influence is subjective too if you don’t have a number showing it

I also don’t think there is a best dancer

Etc. I think it’s backwards trying to quantify art in the way that you are. You like it or you don’t, ain’t no best. That’s like the whole point of art damn near lol

Also do you consider that looks are a huge part of how much reach an artist has? Do you consider looks a skill or part being an artist? Imagine how many artists through the years got passed on because they didn’t have “the look”, you think that makes them worse artists because they don’t have an appearance suitable for mass appeal?

Are the Beatles better artists than Chuck Berry who invented the art himself but wasn’t as marketable a face?

There has been very few “unattractive“ people to reach the heights of stardom