Beyonce was the first black woman to headline Coachella, which is shocking because it is 2018. She made an effort to show her black roots and created a performance that was more than just music- it also revolved around culture.
She was supposed to perform at the 2017 Coachella but due to her pregnancy she had to back out and her performance was replaced with Lady GaGa. Since she had a year to prepare she certainly took all that time to produce one of the best performances of her career and one of the best performances on the Coachella stage.
She managed to pay homage to her roots of the black South while also incorporating her influence in American pop. She performed gracefully and powerfully, displaying black excellence to an audience that has ties to racial ignorance.
The performance almost felt like the SuperBowl with numerous light shows, fireworks and a large number of background dancers. With her dazzling black crown punctuated by pops of gold- she was the queen of the night.
Not only was she able to show her black southern roots, she sang verses of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black National Anthem. In a time of such political corruption, this is really what the crowd needed. She also included references to the big names of the civil rights movement. From Nina Simone to Malcolm X and Chimamanda Adichie- she really turned this performance into a landmark of her career. Malcolm X’s quote, “the most disrespected woman in America is the black woman” was broadcast all throughout the crowd.
Even though she is famous, she is still in touch with her black identity that most singers in her position ignore due to their success- for example, Michael Jackson.
She turned her performance into a show of resilience, black culture and power. She has cemented her name in the industry and has no plan on silencing her voice. This was one of the best performances of all time and one of the most moving performances to happen on the Coachella stage. I wonder how she is going to top this. Her voice will never be silenced and injustice will continue to happen unless powerful people in the industry speak up about it.
The purpose of this video is to make the viewer uncomfortable and it certainly does just that- but not in the way that she was intending. The pants that look like an actual vagina come off as really weird and almost creepy. It makes the video hard to watch. She was taking the angle where she wanted to make men uncomfortable so it is more a feminine space but she even made women uncomfortable. When she first spreads her legs apart to show the full pants I was highly disturbed.
I do like the pink background and theme but the pants just ruin it. Then Janelle goes to sing the first line of her song in a baby voice- that is just creepy. She wanted to take a more creative approach with this record but all I see is someone who is desperately trying to be different.
Her first verse is honestly just odd and sets the tone for this song- one that you really don’t want to listen to it.
She sings,
“Pynk, like the inside of your… baby Pynk behind all of the doors… crazy Pynk, like the tongue that goes down… maybe Pynk, like the paradise found Pynk when you’re blushing inside… baby Pynk is the truth you can’t hide… maybe Pynk, like the folds of your brain… crazy Pynk as we all go insane”
What kind of lyric is “pynk, like the inside of your…. baby.” I really don’t understand why that lyric wasn’t changed. It really doesn’t make sense. I don’t know what she even means by “baby.” Like an actual baby or your p*ssy?
The movements that Janelle does in the video are very awkward. They show her staring directly at the camera with wide eyes, which is pretty concerning. Then it cuts to a girl’s head in between her vagina pants. Why?
Then some girl’s underwear says, “I grab back” which references the president of the United States. Trump was caught saying, “I’ll grab her by the pussy” which caused a huge uproar. But why did this video have to make a political statement? I personally think that’s cheesy.
Grimes is also featured on the track and she is not seen in the entire video, which raises questions because she is one of the best visual performers in the game right now. The director Emma Westenberg should have taken more tips from her.
The song is really slow paced and monotone, paired with lyrics that make no sense. This song is certainly a flop. I get the direction they were going with this song but it doesn’t play out like they might have envisioned.
She says a scheduling conflict prevented Minaj from coming to the video shoot and Nicki Minaj almost never goes to the video shoots because of their busy schedule. Then apparently Cardi said that Nicki changed the verse to make her look bad. Then Nicki tried to apologize, no one backed her up and the press tried to sway the public into thinking that Nicki was being extremely shady. Nicki was just trying to do Cardi a favor and it blew up in her face. Everyone thought that Nicki lied to them.
Nicki then Tweeted out this addressing it publically:
How can you say someone changed their verse & forget to say Quavo TOLD me to remove my singing part (which I loved) & Atlantic told me to remove your name from my verse per your request? So how were those changes gonna happen if I didn’t “change” my verse? 😩🤣 #NickiDay#ChunLi
She is shown tearing up a little in the video, which makes us all feel bad for Nicki. Honestly, I don’t know why Cardi b wouldn’t give Nicki props. Nicki has been dominating the music scene for eight years and yes, so many other people would die to be on a track with Nicki Minaj.
I’m a bigger Nicki fan than a Cardi fan so these two better apologize to each other before it blows up. Could you imagine a world without a Cardi and Nicki collaboration?
Nicki Minaj has been on a hiatus for about three years now and she is finally waking up. Just a week after Cardi B’s debut album, Nicki Minaj slapped us in the face and showed us who really is the queen of rap. Nicki seems to be gaining inspiration from the new females in rap and she has stepped up her game. For a long time Nicki’s verses felt uninspiring and overdone, but on these new tracks, she experiments with new flows and personas.
Currently, fans are in a war about what is the best song but I think I am going to have to give it to “Chun-Li.” Not only are the lyrics amazing in this song, the flow and general feeling of this song are different for Minaj. I thought Roman was going to make an appearance on the track but it feels like she is doing a toned down version of him. She is definitely channeling a personality that is mad and wants vengeance- but is also above it.
The chorus is where the song really shines:
“Ayo, I been on, bitch, you been conned Bentley tints on, Fendi prints on I mean I been Storm, X-Men been formed He keep on dialin’ Nicki like the Prince song I-I-I been on, bitch, you been conned Bentley tints on, Fendi prints on Ayo, I been off, Lara been Croft Plates say Chun-Li, drop the Benz off”
“Barbie Tingz” is also a really strong track that pokes fun at the new rappers in the game by stating that Nicki, Drake, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z were the original top three trendsetters. Is this a diss track for Cardi b and the Migos? Anyway, Cardi and Nicki have been in some drama lately due to a miscommunication on Nicki’s video and verse for their collaboration, “MotorSport.” I wouldn’t want to mess with Nicki because now you know she will drop one of the best songs in her career a week after your debut album release.
BROCKHAMPTON is a rap group that is not afraid to test the limits and cause controversy. Packed with great lines, impactful lyrics and controversial topics- their music says so much more than just a simple track. They switch it up from hard rap to light R&B ballads on their tracks which keeps the listeners on their toes.
They actually prefer the term “American boy band” rather than “rap group” which puts a funny spin on their image. They are collectively a compelling group that works with multiple graphics and visuals for their music videos to show their zany and childish spirit. They also dive into topics such as sexuality, which is typically taboo in the rap community. Not only are they talented, they are a voice for the voiceless, talking about the struggle of being a gay man.
