I don’t know if anyone has seen the new M.I.A. video for her song, “Born Free,” but its pretty controversial.The video focuses on the themes of racism and militarism. I will say only three words: global ginger jihad to describe what you are about to see. Its horrific to watch. Despite its controversial themes, it’s a really good music video. Check it out.
Houston should be proud to be the home town of the Astros, the Rockets, and our biggest success, Beyonce Knowles. Beyonce has become one of the biggest pop divas ever simply on talent, intelligence, and class.
Since Beyonce was a child, she was a performer. She practiced and practiced with her girl group, Destiny’s Child all through school with one goal in mind, a record deal. The girls experienced their share of heartache and disappointment before finally reaching their goal in 1997 when they were signed to Columbia Records.
The group achieved much success throughout their career, but also faced many problems. They faced lawsuits, monetary problems, and member line up changes sveeral times. Through all of the turmoil, Destiny’s Child become one of Houston’s greatest acts.
Beyonce started to concentrate on her solo career while Destiny’s Child was in between albums in 2003. Beyonce released her first solo album, “Dangerously in Love” through Columbia Records. The album earned Beyonce six Grammy wins in one night.
Since the release of her first album, Beyonce has been a busy woman. She has been in several big movies including “Dreamgirls.” She has released two more albums and is currently working on her forth solo album in the studios now. Beyonce and her mother also started a clothing line called The House of Dereon which has clothes ranging from urban style to high end gowns in addition to the fragance she just released called Heat. Beyonce has also had the pleasure of singing for President Obama and his family several times. If that wasn’t enough, she has also done a lot of philanthropy work involving starting the Survior foundation to assist Hurricane Katrina victims, charity work for cancer victims, children in hospitals, and the disaster of Haiti.
Beyonce is a true role model to everyone who wants success and wants to help people. She has acheived a levelof success unparalleled by any other celebrity of her time. She has been voted in Forbes as one of the most successful people in show biz.
The crazy thing about Beyonce’s success is that she achieved it without controversy and without wild and crazy antics. She simply worked her way up through the years gathering success until she reached her level of super stardom that she has today. She is one of the most respected performers because of her skills as an amazing singer and dancer not a gimmick to draw people in.
Beyonce is a singer, dancer, actress, model, diva, philantropist, and an American icon. She is known for her strength, class, and humbleness. On my own path to success, I would like to keep those qualities in mind. Strength will get you through any situation. Class will gain you respect. Humbleness will show you’ve got heart. Those three qualities are what I attribute a tremendous amount of Beyonce’s success to. She proves that controversy is not the only way to get on the front page of a magazine. It is, rather, drive and talent. Beyonce is a diva who has worked hard and hustled to get what she wants. I want to do the same.
The one person whose name has been everywhere for the past year is Lady Gaga. Controversy, independence, confidence, individuality, strenght, courage, and one amazingly unique sense of style. All of these attributes and more has launched Lady Gaga to the level of super stardom that she has reached today.
Lady Gaga, birthname Stefani Joanna Angelina Germanotta, stormed onto the music scene August of 2008 with the release of “The Fame”. This album earned Gaga a impressive 6 Grammy nominations and two wins. She later released”The Fame Monster”, an extension to the first album. Technically, Lady Gaga only has one album, but has achieved the success that most people build their entire career towards.How is this possible? Lady Gaga’s attitude, spunk, and fearlessness has driven her to the empire that she has become.
Recently, Lady Gaga received criticisim from the media for her latest video for her single, “Telephone” which features Beyonce. In the “Telephone” video, Lady Gaga is taken to prison, stripped down, and hops on the bars of the prison cell and flashes her private area to the camera. Gaga claims she did this because she wanted to put an end to the constant question of whether or not she had both male and female parts, or androgyny.
Lady Gaga has been reported saying comments that allude to the mystery that surrounds her gender as well as her sexuality. For this, the homosexual/ bisexual community absolutely flocks to Lady Gaga. When asked about her large number of gay/ lesbian fans Gaga says that she believes that they can relate to her. And that is her goal. She wants her fans to relate to her, and she also wants they to love her music and her persona. She works hard for the admiration.
Lady Gaga is not just your typical pop artist. She actually writes most of her own music with few collaborations. She is a superb pianist. She strives to be a role model to women. She’s worked with a lot of the top names in the music business like Beyonce, Elton John, and many more. She created her own image and has made a major success out of her own career.
As I was flilpping through a recent issue of Comsopolitain, I read an article/ interview featuring Lady Gaga. It basically gave an overview of how this ugly duckling, loner geek in high school turned into the diamond in the rough superstar she is today. The last thing Lady Gaga was quoted saying is “some women chase men and some women chase their dreams. If you’re wondering which one to chase, your dreams can’t wake up one morning and say they don’t love you anymore.” I gained a new respect that day for this 24-year-old diva. She has a certain wisdom about her.
Lady Gaga’s daring attitude and wisdom beyond her age attracts everyone from a 13-year-old girl who dreams of being a pop star to a 40-year-old mother who wishes she could regain the spunk and atttitude she once had in her youth. Despite the controversy of her wild antics, her revealing outfits, and her ambigiuos sexuality, Lady Gaga has managed to entrace everyone from Beyonce to the Queen of England (whom she met last year).
Even I can relate to Lady Gaga. She’s an artist at heart and she doesn’t care how people critize the work that she does. I am like her in that respect. The art that I create, whether it is through my fictional writing or through the music that I play, is my own. However people critize it will not change how proud I am of what I have done.
I wish that sense of standing behind what you’ve done and being proud of it regardless of what people say was more alive in my generation. Instead, my generation has become one that has been taught to seek out approval because that is the only way you can get ahead. What happens to the individual’s soul that does not create for the simple act of creating and getting it out there? It become dull and hollow, constantly seeking for approval from the masses.
Granted, Lady Gaga does in some ways seek approval from the public, but it’s in her own way and on her own terms. She never compromises who she is or the message she wants to convey. I never compromise who I am nor the message I want to convey. Lady Gaga and I, though completely different, are relateable. She has a lot to say and she is not done yet. I have a lot to say and I have not even begun yet.
When thinking about the world we live in, it saddens me to not see as much passion about changing the issues we face as a country. Our voices are silent in comparison to the volume at which we, as a nation, has spoken in before.
In the 70′s, finding a radical, liberal, and outspoken artist in the media was easy. At the time, the country was in turmoil. Protest were a regular occurance due to the way our government treated us as citizens and Vietnam, and musicians and other artists alike expressed their political frustration through their art. These artists were successful in conveying that message and getting it out to the public. The public loved it because they agreed. Many people were united because of their political views and because of the music and the art that drew them together.
Today, the media plays a big role in the way protesters are viewed. Media tends to cover protesters in a negative light because times have changed. My generation lacks the passion and drive to bring about change and have our voices heard that the generation of the 70′s had so much of.
Celebrities in the public eye today tend to be move conservative in their passions than the celebrities of the 70′s. Their are few exceptions that take that extra step and do what they really feel and express it to the world.
A recent example of this would be the release of r&B artist, Eyrkah Badu’s recent video for her single, “Window Seat.” This video sparked the debate of how far is too far with artistic expression instead of sparking the true question it was meant to spark. She questions our liberity, our ability to think for ourselves, and our ability to dare to be ourselves. Free ourselves from the chains of society.
The video was shot guerilla style in the Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Recognize the name? She shot her video in the same plaza John F. Kennedy was assainated. There was no camera crew or any preparation prior to the shoot.
One cameraman follows Badu as she walks around the plaza as she strips down to nothing in broad daylight in a populated plaza. When she is finally completely naked, she is shot by an unseen assaisain, falls to the ground in slow motion, and bleeds out a message, “Group think,” from her head.
Badu claims her video is a commentary on self acceptance and breaking away from group think. Group think is a type of thought that makes people think for the whole of the group which often causes them to agree with something them are against to avoid conflict. The video was simply to convey that message.
Badu, who is a Dallas native herself, faces criminal charges of public indecency, which she pleads not guilty to. An unnamed citizen filed a formal complaint with the Dallas Police. She chose Dealey Plaza because it is one of the busiet places in town. Badu was fined $500 dollars for the video by the city of Dallas.
“Window Seat” sparked quite a heated debate amongst many people in my generation, but it didn’t spark thewrong debate. Though she was fined $500 for this stunut, many argue that it was worth it due to the artistic message Badu was trying to convey.
Where is our passion as a nation for out nation? Badu sees the world for the way it is and only stood up against one of the main causes of the state of this country. It is one of the reasons why we are not represented as individuals. Group think takes individuality away which is what our democratic way of government is based on.
Group think keeps us from asking questions. This is why Badu’s video was received the way it was. She is conveying an artistic and politically aware message to my generation. My generation is missing the message because the media has shifted our focus away from the main point of the video. Break away from group think.
Instead of having arguements about whether or not she should be punished, the arguement should have been focused on what is she trying to say and what if she’s right. My generation needs to look for solutions instead of critizing those of us who are seeking for a solution, for a change.
Eyrkah Badu is a singer, a songwriter, a poet, a artist, and a modern day activist. She has the passion reminescent of the 60′s and 70′s. The passion that caused protests to break out across the country. Protests that help bring about the end of racial segregation, end of oppresion of many groups, and the end of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Our country needs that passion. We need to bring about change. our voices need to be heard.
http://www.bet.com/music/videos/artist/badu_erykah/44348
