Houston & Bassett: That's what friends are for? (EW) Rock & Rant-When I need to quickly rant about music.
I’m annoyed, confused and concerned. In case you hadn’t heard, actress Angela Bassett is directing a Whitney Houston biopic for Lifetime centralized on Houston’s marriage to Bobby Brown (I guess she wasn’t more than Bobby’s wife, but ok). I find this totally exploitive and violating. Bassett is supposed to have been a friend of Houston’s, and what does she do just 27 months after Houston’s tragic, sudden death? Make a movie bringing further attention to the most intrusively publicized area of Whitney’s personal life. Good job. How nice of you. For a moment I thought, “Well, maybe Angela wants to show the side of Whitney and Bobby she knew to counter the general negative perception,” but there’s honestly no need for that because Whitney very candidly gave the good, bad and ugly details in her last Oprah interview in 2009. Bassett said in a statement: “I feel a responsibility in the telling of their story.” Why? The story already came from the horse’s mouth. The fat lady has already sung, and it’s not like Brown is involved with the project to tell his side. “I’m beyond excited to have this opportunity to go behind the camera and into their world,” Bassett continued. I bet you are, Angie. What better way to make a splashy directorial debut (I could be wrong in my questioning, but we’ll see)? Who cares what this will unearth for Houston and Brown’s families, especially their young daughter, Bobbi Kristina. I’m sure the families would expect an outsider to do such a sensationalist thing, but a “friend?” “I told 'em it's no friends in the game, you ain't learned that yet?”- (Nicki Minaj, “Pills N’ Potions”)
I’m annoyed, confused and concerned. In case you hadn’t heard, actress Angela Bassett is directing a Whitney Houston biopic for Lifetime centralized on Houston’s marriage to Bobby Brown (I guess she wasn’t more than Bobby’s wife, but ok). I find this totally exploitive and violating. Bassett is supposed to have been a friend of Houston’s, and what does she do just 27 months after Houston’s tragic, sudden death? Make a movie bringing further attention to the most intrusively publicized area of Whitney’s personal life. Good job. How nice of you. For a moment I thought, “Well, maybe Angela wants to show the side of Whitney and Bobby she knew to counter the general negative perception,” but there’s honestly no need for that because Whitney very candidly gave the good, bad and ugly details in her last Oprah interview in 2009. Bassett said in a statement: “I feel a responsibility in the telling of their story.” Why? The story already came from the horse’s mouth. The fat lady has already sung, and it’s not like Brown is involved with the project to tell his side. “I’m beyond excited to have this opportunity to go behind the camera and into their world,” Bassett continued. I bet you are, Angie. What better way to make a splashy directorial debut (I could be wrong in my questioning, but we’ll see)? Who cares what this will unearth for Houston and Brown’s families, especially their young daughter, Bobbi Kristina. I’m sure the families would expect an outsider to do such a sensationalist thing, but a “friend?” “I told 'em it's no friends in the game, you ain't learned that yet?”- (Nicki Minaj, “Pills N’ Potions”)
A different kind of anaconda Speaking of Ms. Minaj, entertainment blogs went ablaze when she released the cover art for her new single “Anaconda” (inset), in which she dons a string-thong and her entire buttocks is exposed. Minaj noted the fickle standards of when photos like hers are deemed “unacceptable,” posting pictures of Sports Illustrated covers that haven’t been condemned on her Instagram to address critics. That in itself is a valid discussion, but my primary concern with the artwork is that it feeds some of the very things that frustrate Minaj about being a woman in a male-dominated genre. In the world of rap, women are often reduced to be nothing more than sexual outlets. On multiple occasions, Minaj has expressed that it’s been an uphill battle to receive respect and be treated as an equal. The obvious focal point of the “Anaconda” cover is her butt—not her face, not the music; her butt is the star of the show. With an image similar to that of a hip-hop mixtape or party flyer featuring the “video girl” archetype, Minaj is objectifying herself and playing into the sexualized role they would prefer her to be in. I don’t know what the lesser of the two evils is: the “Anaconda” photo or her twerking and grinding in a video for a song called “Ass.” There might be a method to this particular madness of Nicki’s, but I’m thinking it was just an agent to continue the hype for her upcoming album, The Pink Print. I believe that Nicki’s direction, musically and branding-wise, is still in development and a work in progress. Until it’s settled, we’re going to continue to see confounding and illogical moves. From every angle, I don’t get it. Minaj seems bothered by the reaction, but I’m sure a reaction was the primary motivation for the photo being chosen. She gets aggravated when people ask her about her bum, but her bum is all out. *Throws hands in confusion*
My last tidbit goes to X-Factor U.S. darlings, Fifth Harmony. They have a new song/video out called “Bo$$.” I like the song’s premise, the video is cute, the chorus (“Boss…Michelle Obama, purse so heavy, gettin’ Oprah dollars”) is awesome, great. I raised an eyebrow though when I heard the word “ass” (your ass better respect me”) and “shit” was implied (“On my Michelle Obama sh-”). There are 5 members; 2 are age 17. Their key demographic is teenage girls. At the risk of sounding old, when I was a teen, there were expletives in music, but they were here and there and mostly in rap songs. Nowadays, it’s almost standard. The group says something else when they perform “BO$$” live and I wondered “why didn’t they just go with that lyric in the 1st place?” I’m surprised the songwriters would pen expletives for young girls and that the quintet’s handlers would approve of it. Sign of the times? If so, what kind of sign is this and what kind of times are we in? What are your thoughts? Check out the video below.
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