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Keri Hilson Pisses Me Off Some More, and Beyonce` Gets Panned

6/29/2009

Ok, let me briefly talk about Bee Bee and then we’ll move on to why Keri Hilson puts a bad taste in my mouth. I was in NC the weekend the BET Awards aired, and I was listening to this radio show that was taking caller comments about the show. Among the more silly comments being made (comments like the M.J. tribute wasn’t good enough- HELLO! THEY HAD 3 DAYS PPL!), were comments that Beyonce’s performance was lame and they thought she would do something like “Single Ladies” or “Diva”. I Immediately rolled my eyes. Obviously, those comments came from people who just want to see Beyonce` shake her butt and lack substance. These are the same people who Beyonce` created that trash “Sasha Fierce” disc 2 for. They failed to notice how BEAUTIFULLY AND SKILLFULLY she sang the song or the fact that she sung in freakin’ ITALIAN. Again, people who don’t care about real talent, artistry or true performance; just a lot of booty shaking. Require your mediocre artists that you adore so much to do that. Don’t require caviar to be collard greens.
Anyhow…..about Keri Hilson. I wasn’t going to write a post about this, but after her less than stellar BET Awards performance, I had to say something……
Keri, you had the NERVE to give that weak, note-missing, breathy performance at the BET awards, while Beyonce (who you talked about) sung an Italian opera hitting ALL her notes?! Get the hell outta here! Girl, if you’re gonna talk ish you need to BACK IT UP!!! That performance should have been HEART STOPPING the way you’ve been going around braggin’ on yourself and running your mouth! You may be a great writer, producer or whatever the heck, but you are NEW as an artist sweetheart and you’ve gotta lot to learn. You should have been taking notes during Ave Maria! My friends tried to give her a slap on the wrist with her performance- “Well, she WAS dancing AND singing…” SO THE HELL WHAT?!?
I watched Bee IN CONCERT 2 DAYS AGO do “Déjà vu,” “Crazy In Love” and “Get Me Bodied” back to back with full choreography and never missed a note!( and I watched Pink sing and do a trapeze act without missing a note! See my Sept 13TH VMA post). The argument was “well…Beyonce`s been doing this since she was 9 and she used to run in the park and sing to catch her breath….” Well Keri better get to singing on a dang treadmill and learn how to catch her breath or not sing and dance. There’s no excuse for a lame performance. If you’re not sick and your voice isn’t hoarse, I don’t want to hear it. And don’t say I would give some other artist an out, because I wouldn’t- I was reaming Kelly Rowland just yesterday about an off performance. People spend money on you- you better get up there and perform or get off the dang stage!
You know, I REALLY hate it when recording artists publicly criticize other artists. It’s just plain unnecessary, tacky and unprofessional. It also makes you look arrogant and a straight hater. ALL recording artists are in the same shark tank and have to deal with the same B.S.; whether it’s from the recording labels, the media or the audience, so why do they make it worse by subjecting each other to the B.S. that they hate so much? It just doesn’t make sense. Why help the same disgusting media machine that rends YOU, rend someone else with hateful or negative comments? I don’t get it. Like and dislike who you want to in the industry, but don’t feed the mainstream media machine.
What further irritates me about Keri’s lyrical smash of Beyonce`, is that she worked on one of Bee’s songs (“GreenLight”- the ONLY Bee song Keri worked on). As an up and coming producer and/or writer, your dream deal is to work with a major artist, because if your song becomes a hit single, it creates more publicity (and thus, more jobs) for YOU. Even if you have a few hit songs under your belt, one more wouldn’t hurt. That’s one more song you can add to your resume` that puts you even further on the map. One more song that you get credit, royalties and possibly a Grammy for, if luck strikes you. The infamous and much respected Diane Warren and David Foster became infamous because luck stuck them and they got to work with some major artists. Beyonce` (a major artist) gave Keri (and up and coming writer) a shot. She gave Keri an opportunity, a job, a paycheck and another song to put in her publishing portfolio. And yet, Keri ran her mouth? Really? I might be crazy, but I think that is disrespectful, ungrateful and a spit in the face. Dude, why are you burning your professional bridges? That’s just plain stupid. Show some humility. Did Beyonce` treat you like crap or something in the studio? If she did, I much rather would’ve liked to hear about that on the “Turnin Me Off” remix. At least you slamming her would’ve had some real motive behind it.
If you have no idea what I’m talkin’ about (which I doubt), Keri made an underground remix to her single “Turning Me On” that wasn’t intended for release. On the song, she was allegedly making negative comments about singer Ciara and Beyonce`. From what I’ve seen of Keri’s interviews talking about the remix, she denied it being about Ciara, but NOT Beyonce`. Here are the lyrics that ALLEGEDLY are in reference to Beyonce`:

“ I shot the sheriff, but wait til I shoot these bitches down, I ain't tryin to start some mess
There's just somethin on my chest that I need to get off, Cause you turnin me off
Your vision cloudy if you think that you're the best; you can dance, she can sing but she need to move it to the left, She need to go have some babies, She needs to sit down, she fake”

(Sigh). What is your purpose?? “I ain’t tryna start some mess”??? Are you sure, Keri?
If anything, she made Bee look even better, because not only did Beyonce` NOT put this ungrateful newbie in her place, she has yet to publicly criticize ANY OTHER recording artist or address any negative comments by industry people. Brava to Beyonce` for having poise, maturity and P.R. skills as usual. She’s accomplished a lot and could brag about it all, but she doesn’t. Love HER. Keri really grinded my gears. Mainly because I thought it was sooo disrespectful to slam someone that gave you an opportunity. Eww.

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The State of Music Today and The 2009 BET Awards

6/29/2009

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The 2009 BET Awards dedicated their entire show to the memory of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, with tribute performances, special segments and a closing statement by Michael’s youngest sister, Janet. The next morning, many in media and forum were criticizing the show, saying that the tribute was lackluster and insufficient, among other things. I thought that any criticism of their tribute was unwarranted and ridiculous, considering they had to REFORMAT an ENTIRE show in 3 days. Some stations might have cancelled their award show, or just “sprinkled” mentions of Michael in. Brava, BET for of course caring enough to try your hardest and working with what you had to try to do him justice. Not to mention that they showed more tribute programming than MTV did in these last several days following Michael’s untimely death.
Surprisingly enough, the show was not somber. Channeling New Orleans memorial tradition, the mood was upbeat and a tender celebration of the memories Michael left us with. Host Jamie Foxx did an AMAZING job of showing respect to the legacy of Michael, having enough comedic twist that was not satirical of Jackson, but kept people laughing. The mood swiftly changed, however, when Janet Jackson appeared. Seemingly holding back tears, taking breath by breath, Janet gave a brief statement: “My entire family wanted to be here tonight…but it was just too painful, so they elected me to speak with all of you and I’m going to keep it very short. I’d just like to say that to you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family, and he will forever live in all of our hearts. On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love. Thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much. Thank you so much.” With her father in the audience and a childhood photo of herself and Michael in the background, Janet bravely addressed the audience and the fans watching across the country. When I heard that Michael was gone, one of the 1st things that I thought was “God help this family. Everyone else is in their own grief right now, but nothing we feel compares to what this family is feeling. We lost our star, but there are children without a father, siblings without a brother, and a mother without her baby right now. Who cares what I feel…” I was glad to see Janet somewhat echo that sentiment and reminds us all that Michael, amidst all the magic, was indeed human, with a human family who was really grieving and we all just needed to take a step back for a second and acknowledge that. Following Janet’s speech, and thus closing the show was a piano performance of “I’ll Be There” by Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo.
There were performances by…..let me see if I can remember…. Ciara, Jay-z, Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson, Maxwell, Beyonce`….Jamie Foxx (of course) …and……..yeah, I’m going to have to check out the performers list to remember the rest, which is telling. I watched this award show with several of my friends and family, and the talent, or lack thereof, started a really interesting conversation about the state of the music industry today. I was making the argument that in current mainstream pop and R&B there are TOO MANY MEDIOCRE artists. Artists that are “just ok”, lack versatility, lack substance, and are talented in only one or two areas instead of many. One of the women in the room said that today’s artists are not “masters of their craft” and you don’t get a sense from them that they are “striving for excellence or growth.” One of the people my age responded to that by saying “well, this person isn’t supposed to be a “singer”, they’re just a dancer.” They’re not supposed to be a GREAT performer.” I sat back in awe of that comment. When in the heck did we just start ACCEPTING this ish?
Throughout the night, they defended poor live performances with statements like “His song DOES lack substance, but it’s not supposed to be deep. I mean, sure, it would be nice if her voice was stronger and his song had a real meaning. I would definitely like it better if we had more strong performers in music, but that’s just how it is right now.”
WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?? This is the music of OUR generation- the music they will DEFINE US by when we’re older. This is the stuff that will go on compilation albums in future decades. If you don’t really like it, and you know it could be better (hence the “better if we had more strong performers”) why are you buying it? The music industry is oversaturated with mediocrity because YOU (the consumer) keep supporting and buying it. Yes, the industry bigwigs and execs are the ones puttin’ the music out, but they’re only putting b.s. music out because people keep buying it.
With statements like “that’s just how it is”, my friends left me with the impression that they feel the market is something they have no influence over. We have more control as consumers than we think. With the recording industry, the power is split down the middle between the consumers and the bigwigs. If we stop buying this B.S. they’ll stop selling it. If we buy only from the Robin Thicke’s, the Alicia Keys’ , the Common’s, The Pink’s, the Paramore’s, the John Mayer’s, or whoever you like, the b.s. will reduce. B.S. will ALWAYS exist, but the key is to REDUCE it. It’s okay to have a Britney Spears type artist here and there, but there are way too many in the room right now. During our parents’ generation, EVERY OTHER artist was a consummate performer. It kinda went something like this: Beatles, then mediocre artist, The Jackson 5, then mediocre artist, Rolling Stones, mediocre artist, Tina Turner, mediocre artist, so forth and so on. Now, it’s like Alicia Keys, 7 mediocre artists, Coldplay, 7 mediocre artists, etc. NOT ACCEPTABLE. I’m encouraging and challenging you guys to care about the art of music (which you claim to care about) long enough to stop supporting the ringtone rap, the fruitless pop, and the soul-less R&B, so we can take back OUR music. I want something to pass on to my children, like my parents passed on Sam Cooke to me.
I’m tired of the b.s.
And don’t tell me to dig up neo-soul, Christian contemporary, or some other alternative genre. I’ve had people suggest that and say “well, you must not want to hear “real” music bad enough then, if you don’t want to get in to neo-soul.” BULL CRAP! Why should I have to change genres? I don’t like neo-soul (at least not all of it). I like pop and R&B (I’m pretty eclectic, but those are the genres I listen to the most) and I want good pop and R&B to listen to! I am determined to have the big wigs listen to me because after all, they don’t have an industry without money and they don’t have money without me (the consumer). It’s time you start catering to me, Clive Davis. TAKE BACK YOUR MUSIC CONSUMERS!

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Beyonce: “I Am” Tour 2009-Review

6/27/2009

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Concert Review.
Greensboro Coliseum-Greensboro, NC

Whether you’re sitting up close or in the nose bleed seats, seeing Beyonce` live onstage is an amazing, unforgettable, breathtaking, euphoric auditory and visual experience that will leave you in awe and wanting more. As one concert-goer said after the show, “It was like a religious experience. That woman can perform. She really puts on a great show.” This is the 4th Beyonce` tour I’ve attended, and each time is just like the first. Beyonce` proves that she is a consummate performer focused on being a master of her trade, as she performs with an unwavering passion and energy that cannot be properly captured in a television performance.
The diva arrived from a behind a black curtain, walking through a thick cloud of smoke under a small spotlight. The crowd roared at the site of her silhouette. She then strikingly bulldozed through “Crazy in Love”, “Freakum Dress” (which her guitarists rocked hard as heck on), “Naughty Girl”, and “Get Me Bodied”, full on dancing and singing without ever losing a breath or sounding winded. After revving up the crowd, she effortlessly changed speed and slowed it down with “Me, Myself and I” and gave a wonderful mini-sermon about feminism and sisterhood (I love it when she does that). She then entered into her material from the 1st disc of her latest album, “I AM…Sasha Fierce”. The album’s concept is centered on revealing her more vulnerable and intimate side (Disc 1) and her introducing us musically to her alter-ego stage persona “Sasha Fierce” (disc 2). This concept was better illustrated on tour than it was on the album (see 11-18-08 album review).

For the disc 1 material, she re-appeared on stage singing “Smash Into U”, wearing an angelic-looking white bodice and hooded cape. Behind her was a video of a serene ocean whirlpool; the 1st of many effective visuals. Following “Smash” was “Ave Maria”, “Broken-Hearted Girl”, and “If I Were a Boy.” Her rendition of “Maria” was deeply moving and spectacular, as she displayed her vocal versatility and range with seamless tone-modulation and opera-like vocal styling. This performance negated any doubts about the beauty and strength of her voice. As mentioned earlier, the albums’ concept was illustrated well during the concert. Beyonce` performed the disc 1 songs with a raw, naked, openness that could have brought you to tears. All of the sudden you felt so close to her. You could tell that the audience felt very connected to her as they sung “Broken” and “Boy” with the same passion as she did. During “Boy”, Beyonce` gave us an appetizer of what was to come (i.e. Sasha) as she broke into Alanis Morisette’s edgy “U Oughta Know” with intense angst and bitterness, wearing a warrior-esque leather costume and pompously grabbing her crotch (yes, that actually happened). With such behavior uncharacteristic of her, you knew Sasha was coming.
Beyonce` left the stage, and a video began playing of a female robot walking through a blizzard to “Sweet Dreams.” The robot turned into a cheetah; then into Beyonce`. Or should I say Sasha Fierce? After a grandiose introduction by the band, Sasha went into the bouncy “Diva”, followed by “Ego” and “Hello”, wearing a costume with metal pieces. All of the Thierry Mugler-designed costumes were eye-catching. Her backup dancers were dressed as gold robots and moved in such a believable way, you had to look twice to make sure they were actually human. During this set, Beyonce` made a clear distinction between herself and her alter-ego. She was aggressive, sassy and arrogant, but it wasn’t a turn off, as the set was infused with feminism and power. Unlike on the album, Sasha was what she was supposed to be (again, see the 11-18-08 album review). Invincible and confident, she was a woman you could admire. After “Hello”, it was time for the band and background singers to do their thing. As if, Beyonce` hadn’t done enough to emphasize feminism, she commissioned an all female band. On their second tour with Bee, these musicians are immensely talented, impressive and fun. Each musician had their own amazing solo; a few doing some fun tricks. During the break, they played an eclectic set of songs; everything from Michael Jackson to Jimi Hendrix. The arrangements for Beyonce’s songs were unique and memorable (as they often are). The three glamorous, full-figured background singers (cutely called “The Mamas”) all had amazing voices and harmonized well together.

Once the band break was finished, the lights went down, jungle music played, and a gong was pushed out onto the stage. Another video started to play; Beyonce` was dressed as roman goddess, flipping a gold coin with her face on one side, Sasha’s on the other. Sasha shows up and catches the coin. As the coin lands on Sasha’s face, Sasha laughs and walks away. The gong is hit, and Beyonce’ gradually rises out of the stage floor, appearing as if she is on chair. The gold blanket around her drops; she is not on a chair after all. She’s flying. Over the audience, Beyonce` floated in a holster across to a mini-stage in the middle of the arena. She twirled in circles three times before landing. Once on the stage, she performed several songs, including “Irreplaceable”, which she allowed the audience to sing to her half way through. It must be awesome as a songwriter to hear thousands of fans singing a song you labored over, to point where you don’t have to. Beyonce` also performed a Destiny’s Child medley that the crowd seemed to really enjoy. After the medley, she returned to the main stage and had another costume change. A video documenting the civil rights movement played, and it ended with the inaugural ball of President Obama. Naturally, this led into “At Last”, which was followed by “Listen.” Then, the moment everyone had been waiting for: “Single Ladies.” As a precursor, an enjoyable video montage of all of the infamous YouTube renditions played. Then Beyonce’ performed the song and rocked it like she’d never performed the song before. Most of the audience was brave enough to mimic the video dance moves; most impressive was the 14 year old in front of me. Most hilarious was the 46 year old man across from me.

The show appeared to be over, but the hardcore fans noticed that “Halo” hadn’t been performed yet. Beyonce` took “Halo” as an opportunity for an encore and to interact with fans, as she walked the main floor, shaking hands. Once she got back to the stage she kept repeating the phrase, “I am”, ending the sentence with “I am…yours.” She then went on a rather poetic tangent about how her fans inspire her and how she strives to give a quality show no matter what. She attempted to leave the stage several times, each time coming back to say more to the audience, which didn’t seem pre-planned. As she said she strives to do, she put on a high-quality show. Heartfelt and fervent, Beyonce` bared her soul on the stage. She gave her all and you knew it. From the set design, to the band, to the performance, everything was done with care and work to leave you more than pleased. Beyonce` puts on the type of show that will turn semi-fans into hardcore ones, and skeptics into believers.

Overall pros: 1. Exposing her core fan base to different genres by weaving songs like “U Oughta Know” and Sarah Mclachlan’s “Angel” (Ave Maria) into the set (Last tour she interpolated Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”, Jill Scott’s “He Loves Me” and Prince’s “If I Was Your Girlfriend”).
2. Connecting with the fans by walking down on the main floor, throwing multiple accessories into the audience, allowing fans access to the corners of the stage/stairs, pointing out select fans and singing “Happy Birthday” to specific fans

Overall cons: maybe one too many costume changes.

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Keri Hilson Pisses Me Off Some More, and Beyonce` Gets Panned

The State of Music Today and The 2009 BET Awards

Beyonce: “I Am” Tour 2009-Review

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