Ariana Grande - thank u, next
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Princess Nokia is right. And Ariana is problematic now. No matter how edgy her meme galore song is.
And to the people saying this sounds like a million trap songs. Well yes maybe the problem is also that it’s a very specific style and Ariana using it is exactly that kind of white people making big bank on black trend bullshit that people criticize.
But sure imperial phase bop lol emoji let her have her tan Ariana is so cute bla.
It’s easy to be PC just when it fits the own taste I guess.
And to the people saying this sounds like a million trap songs. Well yes maybe the problem is also that it’s a very specific style and Ariana using it is exactly that kind of white people making big bank on black trend bullshit that people criticize.
But sure imperial phase bop lol emoji let her have her tan Ariana is so cute bla.
It’s easy to be PC just when it fits the own taste I guess.
This is not a damn patch on thank u, next or imagine.
Shoulda thrown this in the recycle bin and saved herself all the drama that's ensuing, which is justified in itself. Regardless of whomever wrote the track, she is the face of it and it's unfortunately not the correct one for 7 Rings.
Shoulda thrown this in the recycle bin and saved herself all the drama that's ensuing, which is justified in itself. Regardless of whomever wrote the track, she is the face of it and it's unfortunately not the correct one for 7 Rings.
Just a theory, but I think she may be digging in her heels on this one because there are women of color in her corner supporting her?
I understand what y’all are saying but the leaps about her character and how she should handle it...as has been said, I think it’ll take time and a more pervasive/nuanced social conversation about this for her to properly address it. That’s not to say what she should or shouldn’t do; that Instagram post is a choice in itself. Right now Ariana’s living in her cloud of emojis having a kii with Tayla and Victoria who I’m sure are getting some serious coin from this. I think it’s difficult to have periphery when the people who can most accurately speak on the controversy are almost certainly supporting you.
I understand what y’all are saying but the leaps about her character and how she should handle it...as has been said, I think it’ll take time and a more pervasive/nuanced social conversation about this for her to properly address it. That’s not to say what she should or shouldn’t do; that Instagram post is a choice in itself. Right now Ariana’s living in her cloud of emojis having a kii with Tayla and Victoria who I’m sure are getting some serious coin from this. I think it’s difficult to have periphery when the people who can most accurately speak on the controversy are almost certainly supporting you.
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I think their attempt at creating a narrative prior to release and hoping that the resulting song will feel organic is what also adds to it feeling so ... mechanical and calculated. Nothing wrong with trying to sell your song but it just feels so disingenuous when the song is so reductive (label ordered?).
he/him
he/him
She's the biggest female popstar in the world of her generation. In what world does a label make orders off the back of a 7 week $1?
he/him
I’m sure this is it and that’s why I don’t see her properly addressing it unless someone in her circle of stans, friends, and pets brings it up. The only time I’ve seen it brought up to her face was in a joking manner by Patti LaBelle, and the only times I’ve really seen people critical and go viral enough for it to be unavoidable by her, they’re almost always white... being supported by other whites, and that’s not who Ari needs to be hearing from.
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Why Did Do You Do That, sweetie, I'm so sorry...
Just read the Pitchfork review of the song & they sum up what I was trying to say best:
I mean, it's still a bop, though. I think hyper-capitalist anthems should be icy & cold, like Pour It Up & Bodak Yellow. Not to give them TOO much credit, but in the end, they're empty, vacant JAMS about convincing yourself you've found comfort in something that will never actually fix you. And I think they should reflect that.
Successful came off better because it was about the joys of accomplishment. 7 Rings leaves an awkward aftertaste because it basically states "I'm happy because I bought things."
7 rings is a BOP what is with the negative criticism of it on here !
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Maybe if you took the time to actually read what people are saying, then maybe you'd understand.
she/they
My post is long as hell beneath the spoiler, but I mainly wrote to get my thoughts in order now that the hype has died down for “7 Rings.” (Beware: a bitch loves to use italics and parentheses.)
TLDR: As a black woman who is a fan of Ariana, I’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt, but, make no mistake, I’m not putting my stan card in front of my black womanhood.
In conclusion, stream “Juice” by Lizzo.
Now, where's Lauren Jauregui with her fake-deep social commentary?
As much as I adore Ariana, her response (or the lack thereof) to this is disheartening. I’m still very much into the song and its video, but the dialogue surrounding “7 Rings” makes me conflicted because it’s rooted in an issue I’ve seen coming for a while: Ariana and her flirtation with black culture.
Throughout the twenty times I played the song last night (ddd), it really bugged me that I couldn’t clock where I’ve heard her flow before. Then, the second one of the users on here brought up similarities to “Mine” by Princess Nokia, it all came together. The first time I hopped on social media today was to find Nokia herself shading the hell out of Ariana for lifting the flow of her song. (This itself became an interesting debate, seeing that people instantly called out Nokia for jacking the flow of a 2 Chainz song, accused her of stealing the melody of a Kali Uchis song for something different, and made damning arguments about how Nokia and Ariana were both influenced by Soulja Boy’s song “Pretty Boy Swag.” Admittedly, I’m into Nokia’s music, but the tea is scalding.)
I can tell that, controversy aside, “7 Rings” is going to be massive. I’m happy that Ariana is creating anthems of joy and empowerment despite the struggles she’s faced within recent years, but I’m also acutely aware of the black female rappers who don’t have the same platform she does and likely won’t get the same exposure. However, I’m also aware that she does have black cowriters on the song (Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx), but I feel like if she had them as features on the song, the b(l)acklash would be less severe.
I’m always down for a catchy trap-pop song. I personally don’t mind non-black artists doing them, but only when they give proper credits to the black artists who paved the way for them to even dabble in the genre. For instance, Charli XCX has experimented with hip-hop throughout her whole career, especially recently on Number 1 Angel and Pop 2, but it never feels exploitative to me because she uses her platform so her fans can get into artists such as Cupcakke, Mykki Blanco, RAYE, Starrah, ABRA, and other talented black individuals. (I know that features don’t always equal advocacy, but that’s another subject.)
As @drewsky pointed out, Ariana has always been inspired by R&B. I remember when her big voice and flirtation with ’90s R&B earned her constant comparisons to Mariah. I love when Ariana leans into her more soulful influences than her pop ones, but, no matter my love for her music, I will never let her stardom and talent make her the face of a genre she did not create. Hopefully, it does not get to that point.
For the time being, I am still a fan of hers, but I will be cautiously hoping that she prepares a solid response to the criticisms of her black fans. Unfortunately, I am not expecting much, considering the fact that she is a white woman, and white women who flirt with rap are usually tone-deaf in regards to marginalized cultures. (See Iggy Azalea, Miley Cyrus, and Gwen Stefani for references.) Furthermore, white feminism seems to be all about self-interest, so, if or when Ariana responds to this, I’ll truly be able to assess whether her brand of feminism is either misguided while meaning well or just self-serving and dismissive. Who knows which of the two it will be, because, after all, we’re in an age where self-awareness is both at an all-time high and an all-time low.
I hope nothing worse comes out of this, because the last thing I’d want to wake up to tomorrow (besides nuclear war or an even messier fallout from the US government shutdown) is an old receipt circulating of her making problematic statements about black people (not unlike Justin Bieber’s distateful-ass jokes using the n-word from eons ago or Sabrina Claudio's ugly statements about blackness).
Throughout the twenty times I played the song last night (ddd), it really bugged me that I couldn’t clock where I’ve heard her flow before. Then, the second one of the users on here brought up similarities to “Mine” by Princess Nokia, it all came together. The first time I hopped on social media today was to find Nokia herself shading the hell out of Ariana for lifting the flow of her song. (This itself became an interesting debate, seeing that people instantly called out Nokia for jacking the flow of a 2 Chainz song, accused her of stealing the melody of a Kali Uchis song for something different, and made damning arguments about how Nokia and Ariana were both influenced by Soulja Boy’s song “Pretty Boy Swag.” Admittedly, I’m into Nokia’s music, but the tea is scalding.)
I can tell that, controversy aside, “7 Rings” is going to be massive. I’m happy that Ariana is creating anthems of joy and empowerment despite the struggles she’s faced within recent years, but I’m also acutely aware of the black female rappers who don’t have the same platform she does and likely won’t get the same exposure. However, I’m also aware that she does have black cowriters on the song (Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx), but I feel like if she had them as features on the song, the b(l)acklash would be less severe.
I’m always down for a catchy trap-pop song. I personally don’t mind non-black artists doing them, but only when they give proper credits to the black artists who paved the way for them to even dabble in the genre. For instance, Charli XCX has experimented with hip-hop throughout her whole career, especially recently on Number 1 Angel and Pop 2, but it never feels exploitative to me because she uses her platform so her fans can get into artists such as Cupcakke, Mykki Blanco, RAYE, Starrah, ABRA, and other talented black individuals. (I know that features don’t always equal advocacy, but that’s another subject.)
As @drewsky pointed out, Ariana has always been inspired by R&B. I remember when her big voice and flirtation with ’90s R&B earned her constant comparisons to Mariah. I love when Ariana leans into her more soulful influences than her pop ones, but, no matter my love for her music, I will never let her stardom and talent make her the face of a genre she did not create. Hopefully, it does not get to that point.
For the time being, I am still a fan of hers, but I will be cautiously hoping that she prepares a solid response to the criticisms of her black fans. Unfortunately, I am not expecting much, considering the fact that she is a white woman, and white women who flirt with rap are usually tone-deaf in regards to marginalized cultures. (See Iggy Azalea, Miley Cyrus, and Gwen Stefani for references.) Furthermore, white feminism seems to be all about self-interest, so, if or when Ariana responds to this, I’ll truly be able to assess whether her brand of feminism is either misguided while meaning well or just self-serving and dismissive. Who knows which of the two it will be, because, after all, we’re in an age where self-awareness is both at an all-time high and an all-time low.
I hope nothing worse comes out of this, because the last thing I’d want to wake up to tomorrow (besides nuclear war or an even messier fallout from the US government shutdown) is an old receipt circulating of her making problematic statements about black people (not unlike Justin Bieber’s distateful-ass jokes using the n-word from eons ago or Sabrina Claudio's ugly statements about blackness).
TLDR: As a black woman who is a fan of Ariana, I’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt, but, make no mistake, I’m not putting my stan card in front of my black womanhood.
In conclusion, stream “Juice” by Lizzo.
Now, where's Lauren Jauregui with her fake-deep social commentary?
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Oof. Thanks for reminding me of my favorite part of EVERY controversy.
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