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NubianNadja’s take on Lena Del Ray speaking on female artist of today

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I stumbled upon an article via The DMV Daily about Lana Del Ray and her recent rants. After reading this, I can conclude, Lana has dug a hole for herself and can’t seem to put the shovel down, closing off this opinion that is not her ministry to give. Lana Del Ray decided to share on her Instagram about the state of music for female artists. She started this bold Instagram post, naming heavy-hitters like Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B.
Her exact line was “Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f**king cheating, etc. — can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money — or whatever I want — without being crucified or saying that I’m glamorizing abuse?” 
Now it seems very ironic to make this post after  4 of the names mentioned established history with reigning supreme of the billboard charts. The fact that she tried to place all these talented artists into one category of creating giving specific energy in their music is 100% false. Everyone has an opinion, and here is mine.
Let’s starts with the most significant artist on this list that SHOULDN’T have been uttered… The Queen Bee; Beyonce Giselle Knowles Carter. Beyonce’s name speaks volumes in rooms she’s never even entered, so it’s no need to describe her; she is just that one artist everyone wants to emulate. Beyonce can drop a picture on Instagram, and the world shakes. Beyonce is a VERY private person, so her not giving his women any time of day isn’t surprising. To even place Beyonce’s name in a sentence that ends with the subject of “being sexy, wearing no clothes, f**king and cheating, etc…” is insulting. Beyoncé’s longevity of hits, reputation, and overall music career is not diminished into these categories. Beyonce writes songs about empowering the female struggles since her days in Destiny Child. In her most recent album Lemonade, songs like don’t hurt yourself, sorry, and formation just to name a few still chart-topping hits from 2016. Beyonce has made timeless female anthems that are still sung loudly with a cup of D’USSÉ and lemonade whenever played like single ladies. Worldwide women, Grown women, and Upgrade you, to name a few, “Can I please go back to singing about being embodied feeling beautiful by being in love……” Does Drunk in love (a duet with her husband) Crazy in love ( her first solo hit and Duet with her husband) or halo; a crossover pop hit about being surrounded by love ring any bells?
The worse thing anyone can do is talk any kind of way against Beyonce; it’s career suicide and not to mention an attack from her  Beehive who will not stop until their satisfied. As stated before, It’s ironic she named top-charting black artists that just made billboard history. As of May 26th, Megan the Stallion and Beyonce’s Savage remix hits No. 1 on the #Hot100, becoming Megan Thee Stallion’s first number on the chart and Beyonce’s seventh and Beyoncé’s seventh. Once again, breaking records, uplifting another upcoming artist,  getting accolades,  but contributing streaming proceeds to the pandemic of COVID-19.

 

Lana talks about how critics claim her music is about glamorizing abuse, but she says that’s her reality.

Well, her reality may be abuse from past relationships, but Kehlani is speaking her truth of being young. Kehlani makes albums based on the experience of that time. We have heard songs about her public breakups, self-esteem, and motherhood. She dropped a song about her breakup with YG subtly speaking on how they broke up, my personal favorite is nights like this where she reminiscence on an old flame wanting to text them but for what? Kehlani’s most recent album It was good until it wasn’t is another chapter in her life speaking on her growth and maturity versus her last album, which speaks more on getting over a heartbreak. This is her reality being young, handling love and life.

 

“With all the topics women are finally allowed to explore,”- these women are lyrically diversifying this exploration, creating more than just one genre of having female rappers talk about only men or money or heartbreak. We can now talk about our bodies, feeling confident out loud, how we want to be treated, having fun, being in love, having fun with guys, and living their best life being 20.

Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj are the two artists who definitely is not the average female rapper who only talks about sex. Starting with Nicki Minaj, who has been killing the rap game since 2010, she has been given diverse lyricism even in her Beam me up Scotty mixtape days.
Doja has most definitely been in hot water with her pass coming to the forefront, but her music is a different tune. Every single song on her cyber Pink album does not sound the same. Every song gives off a different beat and topic along with her out of the box music videos such as her 70s feel on say such a video than her futuristic video of cybersex.  The veteran once again collab with a new artist, creating an achievement of a collab between two female rappers go number 1.
Lana del Ray then goes on to talk about her stance to clear up her first paragraph saying she isn’t a feminist but believes in having a place in feminism for people who look like her meaning their truth is being in abusive relationships. She then tries to promote a poetry book and a new album, but that is entirely overshadowed by talking about massive hitter female artists.

 

I’m honestly not sure why Lana mentions Camila or Arianna because they both write very passionate love songs. One of Ariana’s biggest song is Thank U, next that starts with reminiscing about her exes to then realizing her worth. Ariana has a catalog with almost no songs discussing sex, or it is addressed as subtly as possible, never vulgar.   Cardi B is very open about rapping about sex and her body, but do not forget Cardi is speaking her truth. She was once a stripper now rapper rapping about what she knows. She has given songs about her past life, but also the come up she had like her song “Bodak Yellow, Be Careful and Get up 10.”

Lana continues to dig consistently, trying to cover her tracks and reiterate her point. She makes another post thoroughly clarifying that she is complimenting the women mentioned but contradicts herself saying her stance is about having more delicate, softer female personalities in the mix. Lana also is proclaiming she is not racist, nor it was the portrayal she wants to give. She also states that the people who are making this about race are super pence/ trump supporters.
“My aim and message is clear; I have control of my own story if the women I mention don’t want to be associated with me, that’s fine by me….. was this really an apology? Or final thoughts on her own stance?
My final thoughts on her 3-day Instagram rant is to learn to speak and know when to speak up. I do not find it a coincidence that the topic is about women who are charting in all genres of Hip hop, rap, and pop. I do not find a coincidence that this post is given almost a week after Doja Cat, Nicki and Beyonce made billboard history reigning the charts. I do not find it a coincidence that she named the majority-black women either. Being a black woman, you must work twice as hard, even to be noticed to get somewhere. Compare to a white artist, who decided to use her social media platform to speak ill on women who are dominating the music industry. Not a single artist can realize anything with absolutely no judgment. For this to come from another woman instead of uplifting is just another case of white women syndrome having tunnel vision looking at artist work versus looking in the peripheral to see how diverse they are.
“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman.
The most unprotected person in America is the black woman.
The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”- Malcolm X

Nadja Cox is a 2018 graduate from the University Of Maryland Eastern Shore with a Bachelor of Arts in English/Digital media. Nadja is a photographer, makeup artist, content creator, and graphic designer from Prince George's County, MD.

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