WBEZ | Beyonce

Why Kelly Rowland's 'Dirty Laundry' is one of the most important songs of 2013

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:45:00 -0500

I am thinking about my friends and acquaintances in high school, how they arrived to class with bruises on their arms.

"What happened?" we used to ask.

And then they whispered something about their boyfriends, a volatile argument, and how it was their "fault." They would brush questions aside, blaming themselves for the violence in their relationship. My friends were across the racial and ethnic spectrum, but their situations were eerily similar.

On Wednesday, former Destiny's Child member and solo artist Kelly Rowland released "Dirty Laundry," a highly emotional, personal, and startlingly blunt song about her career and personal life. Production-wise, "Dirty Laundry" is as clear and straightforward as the lyrics. Structured with steady, yet ominous piano chords and a static drumbeat, "Dirty Laundry" plays like some of the best confessional r&b songs. Rowland sings:

Started to call them people on him/I was battered/He hit the window like it was me/Until it shattered/He pulled me out and said 'Don't nobody love you but me/Not your mama not your daddy and especially not B'

In the song, Rowland talks about her feelings in the industry and a violent relationship with an ex, but her situation is applicable and relevant to the circumstances of her listeners. According to a study from the U.S. Department of Justice in a compilation of statistics from the American Bar Association's Commission of Domestic Violence, "Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races." As a singer in the r&b genre with audiences largely both black and female, Rowland's release can act as a call for action and a means of shedding light on an issue that still receives little attention.

The statistics for domestic violence are sobering. We assume that because we are not actively talking about it all the time that it is not there. We assume that if it is not in front of us everyday that it can't possibly exist. And yet, the numbers do not lie. The number one killer of African-American women ages 15 to 34 is homicide at the hands of a current or former partner, says the ABA. As well, only 17% of African-American sexual assault survivors report their assault to the police. The importance of this song and Rowland’s experiences can’t be reiterated enough. Later in the song (and years after her relationship ended), she sings:

I got my shit down pat/Think I had it good/And they don't know how bad/Fooled everybody/Except myself/Soaking in this hurt/Bathing in the dirt

Like many of her listeners, Rowland kept her experiences a secret. Outside she exuded strength and charisma, but inside she kept a secret. She was shamed herself, never being able to reveal her experiences to the public.

The question of how much a public figure owes the public is debatable. I do not believe it was Rowland’s responsibility to reveal this part of her life. And as the lyrics of the song indicate (Phone call from my sister; 'What's the matter?'/She said, 'Oh no, baby, you gotta leave') family and friends like Beyonce knew. But Rowland’s experience began nearly a decade ago. The courage to speak out can be difficult for many. If only one woman listens to Rowland's work and sees in it the courage to speak out that is one life potentially saved.

Art can and should mean different things to different people. As a whole however, art in and of itself is something that we consume constantly and voraciously. Music is the most accessible form of art. We seek in it something personal and true. It is no surprise that a variety of different genres exist to speak to both our personal tastes and our desire to clarify and reiterate life's questions through notes, chords, or lyrics. In "Dirty Laundry," Rowland reveals her truth. That it is shocking to the public reflects our unwillingness to address an insidious facet of our culture.

Britt Julious blogs about culture in and outside of Chicago. Follow Britt's essays for WBEZ's Tumblr or on Twitter @britticisms.

Five myths about feminism

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0500

Female superstars like Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Beyoncé want to empower young girls and be champions for women everywhere. Just don't call them feminists.

When asked if they considered themselves feminists, they all balked at the term:

"I don't really think about things as guys versus girls." — Taylor Swift, The Daily Beast
"I guess I am a modern-day feminist. I do believe in equality. Why do you have to choose what type of woman you are? Why do you have label yourself as anything? I'm just a woman, and I love being a woman." — Beyoncé, Vogue UK
"I am not a feminist, but I do believe in the strength of women." — Katy Perry, Billboard's "Woman of the Year"

All of these statements are non-answers that completely miss the point. By definiton , feminism is "the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes." So if you "believe in equality" and "the strength of women," then you are, in fact, a feminist. Why hem and haw around the question? Honestly, I don't think that these women have any idea what feminism actually is.

Say what you will about the "adorkable" Zooey Deschanel, but at least she has the balls to openly declare her feminism, unlike most Hollywood starlets these days:

"There is not an ounce of me that believes any of that crap that they say. We can't be feminine and be feminists and be successful? I want to be a f-cking feminist and wear a f-cking Peter Pan collar. So f-cking what?"

A modern aversion to the word "feminism" may stem from old myths about the women's movement that still exist today ("I'm not a feminist because I'm not a bra-burning, man-hating megabitch, etc.") and, in my opinion, should be myth-busted immediately.

Here are a few common misconceptions about feminism that are simply not true:

Myth #1: Feminists hate men.

Feminism is about equality, not the superiority of one sex over another. Patriarchy can be just as damaging to men as it is to women (encouraging an "alpha-male" mentality, instructing boys never to cry or show emotions, etc.); so, by that rationale, men can be feminists too. Feminism isn't about shifting blame or shoehorning all of the world's problems onto men. It's about identifying areas of inequality and working together to fix them.

Myth #2: Feminists don't believe in marriage.

Contrary to popular belief, not all feminists are bitter old spinsters, mannish lesbians or ice-queen CEOs who only care about climbing the corporate ladder. Just because you want to get married one day (to a man or a woman) does not mean that you care any less about women's equality at home or in the workplace.

Myth #3: Feminists are pro-abortion, bra-burning, bleeding heart liberals.

Yes, feminists tend to be more liberal than conservative, and collectively pro-choice for the most part. However, you don't have to vote Democrat to support women's equality, and defending a woman's right to choose does not make you "pro-abortion." The key word here is choice, and that's the true beauty of feminism. Choosing to be a stay-at-home mom or dad doesn't make you any less of a feminist, just like choosing not to have children doesn't make you any less of a woman or man. Also, those "hairy-legged women libbers" of the sixties never burned their bras in protest. True story.

Myth #4: Feminists are offended by any gesture of gallantry.

I like when men open doors for me. It's a nice break from having them slammed in my face. Feminists may have introduced the idea of splitting the check (and treating our partners to dinner every now and then) but that doesn't mean we hate chivalry and romantic gestures as a whole. I appreciate when a guy offers to pay for dinner or insists on driving me home; however, I always make sure to return the favor at some point. As long as there's equality and balance in the relationship, then a feminist couple can take care of each other in whichever way feels right for them.

Myth #5: Feminists may have been necessary in the past, but we don't need them anymore.

We've come along way since the fight for women's suffrage and Roe v. Wade, but we still need feminism, both in the United States and around the world. Rape and victim-blaming, child brides, sex trafficking, genital mutiliation and disfigurement, honor killings, forced prostitution, infanticide of female babies in countries like China and India, domestic violence and other crimes against women are as rampant as ever. The struggle for equality continues on, and feminists will not rest until every woman has the inalienable rights and freedoms that she deserves.

Leah Pickett writes about popular culture for WBEZ. Follow her on Twitter @leahkpickett.

Three takeaways from Jay-Z and Beyoncé's Cuba trip

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:49:00 -0500

Three takeaways from Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s trip to Cuba:

1) It was legal, but that it was legal doesn’t mean it wasn’t utterly fraudulent.

2) How anybody on earth can think the embargo is doing any good is a continuing mystery of American politics.

3) Anybody surprised by Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s trip to the island hasn’t been listening to Jay-Z. And anybody listening to Jay-Z probably knows nothing feeds a false sense of rebellion more than prohibiting something.

Now, one at a time.

Did anybody think Jay-Z and Beyoncé were going to make such a noisy trip to the axis of evil without a legal license to do so and embarrass the hell of their buddy in the White House?

They’re not that stupid, and Sen. Marco Rubio, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart – who asked the Treasury for an investigation into the power couple’s trip – should have known better.

That said, Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s trip was legal because, let’s face it, it’s ridiculously easy to get a license for an “educational” trip to Cuba. Pretty much any U.S. citizen can just sign up and go with any of the 220 agencies, museums, churches and synagogues that take tour groups to Cuba.

A visit to a school, a meeting with artists and the trip qualifies as cultural exchange when, in fact, it's touristic. In other words, the qualifying aspects, for the most part, are performances. If the U.S. opened up to tourism to Cuba, most people would travel to the island the way they do everywhere else – on their own or in tourist groups, not for formal cultural exchange . (The Cuban government, by the way, knows Jay-Z and Beyoncé were there as tourists and described their trip as such on their websites, including Cubadebate.com.)

Which brings us to the embargo itself and the travel restrictions that accompany it. In its 52 year history, the Cuban embargo has accomplished none of its stated goals, including free and fair democratic elections in Cuba. It has, however, caused incredible misery to the Cuban people and encouraged charades like the Jay-Z and Beyoncé trip.

The thinking is that it’s Cuban-Americans in South Florida who force politicians into a corner on the issue. But look here: A 2012 Florida International University poll of Cuban Americans found that 57 percent favored removing travel restrictions to the island for all Americans and 58 percent supported reestablishing diplomatic relations.

Sure, the same poll found that 56 percent of Cuban Americans said they still supported the trade embargo, even though 80 percent said they did not believe the policy worked well.

What’s that about? Wishful thinking, that’s what that is, especially from an older generation who believes their lives were disrupted by the Revolution’s advent. In any case, it’s absurd to continue to formulate foreign policy on the crazy end of a contradiction.

As to Jay-Z – negro, por favor. This full-of-himself-fool has been exploiting his three minutes of once-upon-a-time drug dealing for street cred for more than two decades and comparing his rich privileged ass to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. and Che Guevara for just as long.

Remember 2002’s “The Bounce”?: “Rumor has it ‘The Blueprint’ classic/ Couldn’t even be stopped by Bin Laden/ So September 11th marks the era forever/ of a revolutionary Che Guevara.”

Jay-Z was retweeting that sh*t days before going to Cuba.

Or “Public Service Announcement” when he full on appropriates in the most laughable and absurd way of signaling he really doesn’t understand sh*t about Che Guevara: “I’m like Che Guevara with bling on, I’m complex.” And then he talks about chains and the Lexus he’s willing to kill for.

Then there was his wearing a Che t-shirt on“Unplugged” in 2001.

Here’s the thing: Forcing Jay-Z and Beyoncé to pretend this was cultural exchange meant that they were handed right over to cultural authorities who parroted the Cuban government’s familiar bullsh*t.

They were guaranteed not to hang out with ordinary Cubans, from whom they might have found that, while they were treating Havana like a playground, Roberto Zurbano, a black Cuban and a lifetime revolutionary, lost his job as a top literary editor (probably the only black man in such a position on the entire island) for writing an opinion piece in the New York Times about racism on the island.

Indeed, Jay-Z came back from his Cuba trip full of self-righteous rebel defiance about doing what pretty much anyone can do, i.e., go to Cuba. The world woke up today to a new song of his, “Open Letter,” in which he pushes back about criticism of his Cuba trip. You can hear it here.

Yeah, it's just more pseudo-rebel bullsh*t.

(And even so, the White House was asked about it at Thursday's news conference.)

The enigma of Beyoncé

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:00:00 -0600

Much to the befuddlement of my sports-loving Texas family, football has never been my thing. I'd much rather watch feminist debates and class warfare on Downton Abbey than a bunch of dudes running around and tackling each other for reasons I do not care to understand.

And yet, I was compelled to tune in to this year's Super Bowl halftime show. Why? Football may be America's sport, but Beyoncé is a national treasure.

Last night's performance was preceded by so much fanfare (Exhibit A: Gawker-issued Beyngo cards) that I wondered if the actual show could possibly live up to the #BeyonceBowl hype. Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and the Sandy Hook Elementary School choir began the evening on a high note, offering poignantly soulful renditions of The Star-Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful. Still, Beyoncé's halftime extravaganza was the much-anticipated main event, and despite my jittery fears to the contrary, she did not disappoint.

Fresh off the controversy of lip-syncing the national anthem at President Obama's inaugaration, Beyoncé made an obvious effort to display her lovely live vocals on the Super Bowl stage. She panted audibly through her medley of hits ("Love on Top," "Crazy in Love,"and "Baby Boy"), and turned her mic to the crowd whenever she ran out of breath. Did she always sound flawless? No, but she did manage to belt out some stellar riffs in between booty shakes. And flanked by an army of identically leather-clad dancers, she looked stunning per usual.

Then, as many sources had predicted, Destiny's Child groupmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined Beyoncé onstage for nostalgic three-part harmonies of "Bootylicious," "Bills Bills Bills," and "Independent Women." They also sang and danced as her "Single Ladies" before quickly rushing aside, allowing Bey to close the show front and center with her hit power-ballad "Halo."

The performance was an explosive success, aided even more so by a subsequent power outage that left the stadium in darkness for an additonal 34 minutes. This triumph bodes well for Beyoncé's continued rise in 2013, drumming up even more positive publicity for the February 16 premiere of her HBO documentary Life Is But A Dream and the January 29 release of Love Games, her first Destiny's Child album in eight years.

But while Beyoncé's music has inspired legions of devoted fans, her offstage persona has been the subject of increased scandal and speculation. At the zenith of her fame, she has been accused of faking her pregnancy with daughter Blue Ivy, worshipping Satan as a member of the Illuminati alongside husband Jay-Z and being a straight-up crazy person in general. Perhaps people find it too hard to believe that one woman could embody such pristine vocal and physical perfection without the help of the devil and a good surrogate.

Maybe her new documentary, which includes deeply personal video diaries of her most vulnerable moments behind-the-scenes, will help to dispel at least some of the rumors surrounding her mysterious inner life. But will her meticulous self-direction still prevent fans from seeing the real Beyoncé, whoever that is?

Admittedly, this cover story for GQ magazine's February issue did not do her any favors in the egomania department. But really, who cares if she's a diva? In my opinion, a 16-time Grammy Award winner and international superstar has earned the right to be a little full of herself. Beyoncé is an incredibly talented performer (with or without a backing track) and she owns it.

Oh, and she also just announced The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, coming to Chicago's United Center on July 17. Long live Queen Bey!

Follow Leah on Twitter @leahkpickett.

A conspiracy unfolding (or folding): Beyonce's baby-bump (or lack thereof)

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:07:00 -0500

What you are about to read may shock and surprise you. It’s not meant for people who believe everything the “lamestream” media tells them, so please close this window unless you have an open mind.

I’ve never been a conspiracy theorist, although I’ve always been fascinated by people who don’t go with the flow when it comes to major events: the moon landing, the Holocaust, 9/11 and so on. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I admire those who believe that the majority of the world has been living a giant lie, but there is something intriguing about conspiracy theorists’ passion and the way they string together their bits of proof to form a cogent-seeming argument.

Well, I’m excited to announce that I have finally found a conspiracy that I can get behind, and it’s this:

Beyoncé Knowles is not really pregnant.

I had heard some rumors that there was something fishy going on when Beyoncé announced her pregnancy at the VMA’s a few weeks back: there were grumblings that it seemed odd that she had such a large baby bump (obligatory ‘ugh’ at that term) for being relatively early in her pregnancy. But I didn’t pay much attention. I’ve never been pregnant, and who knows with baby bumps. They’re mysterious: perhaps maybe they grow and shrink or look different depending on what you wear.

But now the scales have fallen from my eyes. I am convinced that the bump is fake, thanks to this video, which seems to show Beyoncé’s baby bump folding in and collapsing on itself as she sits down for an interview (and some people claim that the singer displays a panicked expression on her face as she sits down, as if she knows her entire life is a lie and it was just displayed on TV):

I am ready to get on-board with this conspiracy. I’m pretty sure that this “Occupy Wall Street” stuff has just been a smokescreen thrown up to distract us from the fake baby bump (because does anybody really know what those protesters are after? I don’t.) Why are we not talking about this? Why is it not scrolling news along the bottom of CNN? Because we’re afraid of the truth.

There are some theories as to why Beyoncé would fake a baby bump or pregnancy, a popular one being that she’s not actually pregnant, but has a baby incubating in a surrogate (further Beyoncé-hating theories speculate that she’s doing this because she’s too selfish and vain to put her body through pregnancy, as we all know any woman who isn’t quick to embrace all the swelling, weight gain, fatigue and discomfort of pregnancy is a terrible person). Beyoncé doesn’t want to admit that she’s using a surrogate, and so is faking her pregnancy until the surrogate delivers the baby.

Beyoncé has of course refuted these ridiculous claims, but some say, if those claims are so ridiculous, why address them in the first place? “Doth protest too much”, meet “lady.”

There are others who claim that Beyoncé was photographed recently displaying a nude baby bump while she was at the beach recently, and that can’t be faked, but this is where my own expertise comes in. Feed me a big dinner and I can show you a stomach that looks at least seven months pregnant, if not ten or eleven. Plus, anybody who watches Arrested Development knows that realistic false baby bumps do exist.

So, yes, based on the folding in of the belly and the fact that I think the bikini photos could be faked, I’m going to go with this conspiracy. Why? Because this conspiracy is fun. If it turned out to be true, how crazy would that be? Those of us who believe in it would all look like geniuses. And if it’s not true, isn’t it so much better to think it is than to contemplate what’s going on in Greece, or how the Bears are doing, or that the days are getting shorter and shorter? This is so much more fun to think about than real life! It’s my new religion, basically is what I’m saying.

As for my own theory, I think that Beyonce is wearing the fake belly in order to keep snacks in there at the ready. It’s as good a reason as any.

I want to believe.