Monday, December 13, 2004

Destiny, or fate?

"Call me a hater, but don't call me jealous."--Me.

I will be the first person to say it, and I have stood by it since 1998: I do not like Destiny's Child. Their first single had to be one of the most irritating tunes I have heard, and then they went and made the sequel and then the remix. It never ended. "No no no no no!" Just when I thought their 15 minutes of fame were over, they went and re-arranged, and then re-rearranged, with only cousins Beyonce and Kelly remaining the constant.

And as goofy as some people think this may sound, I do not dislike each individual "artist." I was impressed with Beyonce's solo venture. I can name a few songs I really dig. Kelly was a'ight. Michelle did her gospel thing, and she has a nice voice (but really, she looks like a fish out of water doing the booty hop on stage). It is when they come together as a group that their individual talent is diluted in silly repetitive tunes and catchy phrases. Their work as DC is to say the least, trite and weak. But I will buy a Kelly Rowland cd before I ever let someone burn me a free copy of "Survivor."

Back to the quintet-that-became-a-quartet-and-is-now-a-trio. It was then "Independent Woman." All the ladies, if you're independent, throw your hands up with me. Rah rah. And of course, "Bills, bills, bills." You trif-aling, good-for-nothing type of brotha, oh silly me, why haven't I found another. I breakout in a rash remembering the nonsense. Of course, I saw right through it all; if you're so independent, you don't have to do make an anthem about it and dance to it. Everybody who meets you will pick up on your "independence." I was called a hater, but I still said, thanks but no thanks.

However, Destiny's Child (aka Beyonce's Destiny) has revealed their true image with their third album. Case in point: "Soilder" featuring Li'l Wayne: We like dem boys that be in the LEX leanin'. Open their mouth their grill gleamin'...They always be talkin' that country slang, we like. They keep that beat that be in the back beatin'. Eyes be so low from the chiefin'. I love how he keep my body screamin'. A rude boy that's good to me, wit street credibillity.

Oh, but it gets worse. Here comes some of the chorus:

If his status ain't hood, I ain't checkin foor him.
Betta be street if he lookin' at me.
I need a soldier that ain't scared to stand up for me
known to carry big thangs
if u know what i mean.

Obviously here, at one point or the other (or maybe never at all and they're all just puppets regurgitating whatever's thrown at them) someone else was doing the writing between The Writing's on the Wall, Survivor and Destiny (un)Fulfilled. I don't know and I really don't care who wrote what, but the blatant demotion of principles here is embarrassing. How can they promote an album where they chant about needing a thug to take care of them, after calling the same brothas trifling three years ago? That's not growth, that's degeneration.

But I'm not the only one here who finds "Soldier" to be a slap in the collective female face. Radio listeners here in Philly have complained, as have most of my female friends. And while I know that there is no such thing as a role model, at least in 2001 the lyrics were marginally empowering. Now young girls who already know how to get their "eagle on" by age three will also grow up thinking that a real man is gangsta. Oh, I hope Destiny Fulfilled means this charade is over, because I've had enough.


2 comments:

Nina said...

we are so here ---><-----
When I've made this statement I was labeled a hater as well but you are speaking truth

Janae said...

Bijan, I feel you. And again, I think that has more to do with whatever contract DC is under, because Beyonce as a solo artist IMO has potential. But then again, look at Alicia Keys, whose duet music is terrible (with very few exceptions) but can bang it up solo.

Welcome Christen. I'm glad to hear I am not alone as a woman. For whatever reason when women are "overly critical" of other women, we are labeled as jealous. Especially if the women happen to be attractive; as if we only see their beauty and feel threatened by it. Whatever, there are millions of beautiful women out there--one pretty face (or three) is not going to make me have a spasm. Don't even get me started on Ashanti.....