* [[OlderThanTheyThink All the way back in 1971,]] Music/TheWho made "Behind Blue Eyes", an ode to the hidden sorrows of the bad guys. Quite popular, it's been covered many times by many other bands such as Music/LimpBizkit.
* Judas in ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar'' is a TropeCodifier.
* Many so-called Gangster Rappers claim this, by explaining that their violence, criminal, and sexist lyrics reflect the reality of the urban street life - which they came from - not to glorify it. They claim the music was done as a cry for help, not to celebrate it. This may have been the cause originally, but certainly not now.