This will probably earn me the label of "a hater", but I really don't care. She's got a decent level of musical talent, but she is far from what she is made out to be by the media, gay men, and gullible women who believe the lyrics to songs THAT SHE DOESN'T EVEN WRITE. Were it not for Matthew Knowles forcing everyone to play the back, Beyonce wouldn't even be relevant post DC. But because of his creepy desire to make her a star, here she is ALL THE DAMN TIME! Is she the greatest voice of this generation? NO. Is she a remarkable dancer? Um, double-no. Is she a stellar actress HELL NO! So why is she garnering numerous awards, receiving great praise by drones, excuse me fans and appering in television/magazine ads? Is there something that I'm missing? Nothing that I can see. In fact, I'm sure if Beyonce weren't already a "superstar" anyone else doing the same type of music wouldn't get a second glance. For example: give Kelly Rowland all of Beyonce's albums, videos, budget and hype... She'd still only be MODERATELY successful in comparison. Why? Because the Beyonce "package" is better.

Her success is a direct result of her father making sure no one gave a damn about the other members of the group. Making her the center of attention, and tragically PEOPLE FELL FOR IT. It's not hard to sound like the best singer when you sing the entire/best parts on each song. Not hard to have people think you're beautiful if you're always on the damn screen. Meanwhile, her groupmates don't share a combined fraction of her success. They wouldn't match a fifth of it. Can you name any albums by ex-Destiny's Child members? I'll wait...

She's probably not a horrible person, but she has made some horrible movies and music. Worse than that, people practically line up to kiss her ass and say good things about her. As if there is some kind of pending penalty for not liking her work. Aside from her first album, her music has all been horrible if you ask me. These other projects seem to be more out of obligation than inspiration. I'd be fine if she announced that she was taking a break. If she were to just leave for a couple of years, maybe then people could stop their groupie-esque infatuation with her. Highly unlikely, but a girl can dream. I know this may seem like a coldhearted attempt to attack her artistry, but it's just a shot in the dark. Maybe someone else feels my pain. And YES, I'm a hater when you throw in that Prince likes her. She doesn't deserve it, lucky heifer! Other than that, it's strictly about her work. LOL

Peace, Hip Hop & Purple Rain

Goddess Cru

Yeah, pretty much.

if other people had wanted to support Kelly, Michelle, or LeToya they have had every opportunity to do so. I am no Beyonce stan and I get weary of her, but I don't discount her work ethic or her talent. Personally I would rather Aaliyah was still alive because I was a huge Aaliyah stan and found her way more talented but that's me. I have bought singles from the other DC ladies but frankly, they do not stump as hard for their careers as Beyonce has for hers. And I really don't think it's her dad that's the all powerful man behind Beyonce's career. You may really want to point toward hubby for that....

Jay has been real subtle though, but note that nobody stunted for Bey until after Bonnie and Clyde and Crazy In Love....

And sometimes I wonder about the people that knew Aaliyah's itinerary....

ernestsewell said:

This was good, but it still doesn't explain why people clamor over her every move. She's commonly referred to as a "triple threat" but she doesn't exactly excel at anything she does. It seems her celebrity fuels her career, because her talent isn't enough to keep a stove lit. The red carpets, movies, magazines and other whatnot has the people under the impression that she's worthy of it all. I've never been more annoyed by someone selling records by just being them. (My Michael Jackson and Jay-Z comments will be left out of this particular argument.) It doesn't take a professional to see that her extended 15 minutes of fame have pretty much been exhausted since she was still a member of Destiny's Child. How she managed to parlay that into an acting career and reach "I'm Every Woman" magnitudes (with such limited range) is beyond me and quite annoying. And to be honest I don't think anyone deserves credit for writing Beyonce's music. It's just not even worth owning up to it. They inspire bleeding ears across the globe. A savage misuse of words is my best description of a song written for Beyonce.

BklynBabe said:

Agreed. I am no fan of hers but I guess she pays more attention to her career than the others. Yeah I'd much rather have an alive Aaliyah or Brandy getting all the attention instead of Beyonce. I think Destiny's Child were good but still they came nowhere close to TLC or En Vogue. I think also during Destiny's Child;s short career she had all the exposure, she definitely was the most good looking of them and the camera was focusing on her nonstop. Her solo career also began with 3 great singles (Work It Out, Bonnie And Clyde and Crazy In Love). But after that it was mostly forgettable R&B/Hip-Hop. So no I don't think she deserves all the attention although she is talented and she used to be very pretty (now she would rank as just pretty)

GangstaCru said:

There's a lot of anti-Beyonce talk in that thread if you read it, especially about her being overrated when it comes to song writing.

jiorjios said:

i concur

I like her second and third album better than her first album, but they are just what they are: catchy pop songs with a good voice. I don't think her dancing is all that, and she gets way too much hype.

This falls into the Gold Standard "No Shit" Hall of Fame of posts, but there are some valid points that have been made. When Destiny's Child came out, they really weren't that different from, say 702 or any other of those girl groups that were on the TRL countdown. Case in point, their first single, whose name I forget. I remember the songs Bugaboo and Bills and thinking TLC had done it 10x better. I did think Beyonce was pretty when I first saw her, but rather hard looking.

I will say and a lot of others don't agree, that if Aaliyah hadn't died, Beyonce would not be Beyonce and I don't think there would be a Rihanna either, to tell the truth. Aaliyah had the mystery that Rihanna has and better dance moves that Beyonce. Aaliyah was effortless-she was a natural. Beyonce makes me tired to look at her because she wants and needs it so bad and tries waaaay too hard.

Aaliyah was gonna blow up big time and when she died, Beyonce stepped into that void. There was really no one else. Everything is timing.
[Edited 11/9/09 11:04am]

scriptgirl said:

There wouldn't have been ciara either if aaliyah was still alive. Imagine if the songs Timbaland wrote for Nelly and Justin went to Aaliyah , she would have blown up. And her final album was a great r&b classic

I remember not long ago in a interview how she wanted to reach icon status. Well, obviously it came to quickly after "I am...". The media got paid in full

Tell us how you really feel!



Question: Why every time someone brings up how overrated Beyonce is and etc. Aaliyah is always brought up?

scriptgirl said:

Indeed! That is TRUTH. Aaliyah was on the verge of being on Beyonce's level, and if she had not died, Beyonce would be in the same boat with kelly rowland and all the other mediocre singers.
Janet is one of those mediocre singers, BTW.
[Edited 11/9/09 11:04am]

What do you mean, "I am"

Aaliyah's last cd was classic.
Ciara should have blown up, but Rihanna has kinda stolen her swagger. I may be wrong, but at the of her death, there weren't really a lot of huge solo rnb female artists. Not that Aaliyah was HUGE, but she was gonna get there. Beyonce is brought up, because I truly believe she would not have been a huge star if Aaliyah had lived. I can't really explain it, but there it is.

kenlacam said:

and what is Aaliyah?

Now, I don't think Aaliyah had great range, but to be honest, neither did Billie Holiday and I am fan of Lady Day. Aaliyah was the whole package and more importantly, the only thing you knew about her was her music, about her as an artist. She wasn't in your face every 5 minutes. You saw her only when she had a project to promote. She knew how to stay out of the public eye when she wanted to. That is a lesson more celebs need to learn.

midiscover said:

Don't mind him. He's cleary trying to spark up a convo by mentioning Janet

Any artist who has to be half-naked and overly-sexual on stage and in their videos is overrated to me. If they were to put a trash bag on or be less than attractive, would they still be even remotely popular?...hells naw. Keep the clothes on and leave the pole dancing to the exotic dancers and than come and tell my how talented you really are because I'm just not seeing it at this point; sorry.

GangstaCru said:

I agree! I think the bar is just getting lower. Long ago people used to gripe about Diana Ross and how famous she became without the Supremes. They would say "She can't sing like Aretha!" "She can't dance like Tina!" But now she's considered the legend and a pioneer.

I don't think the bar can get any lower after Beyonce and Rihanna. It's already on the floor.

midiscover said:

I guess because of the fact that she was very likable and she hadn't reached her full potential as an entertainer prior to her death. Plus, two years after her death is when Beyonce blew up.
[Edited 11/9/09 11:23am]

trueiopian said:

I agree completely. But I like Rihanna.

Layzie said:

Beyonce blew up in 2003 which was year after Aaliyah's death.

_____


Anyways, I honestly believe that every thing is becoming easier for artists now. With this whole iTunes era and the Grammys turning into a popularity contest

Lawd! take me now!!

BklynBabe said:

I respectfully disagree. When Destiny's Child "took the world by storm", one thing remained ever so clear: BEYONCE WAS THE STAR, or rather the priority. If your father was responsible for a group and he didn't want to ensure you had a future in this industry, he'd be foolish. Hence Matthew not having a problem with dropping the others like bad habits. Jay had absolutely nothing to do with the success of DC songs. Her star was already rising when she landed movie roles still as a member of that group. Those moves left the others room to pursue other endeavors, to less fanfare than a Destiny's Child album.

I'm not even going to say the other girls aren't working for it, because I'm sure they are. Beyonce probably has a better record deal, seeing as how she has never been fired. She has a larger network and a stronger fanbase (as a result from singing lead all those years). Beyonce is a brand while Letoya, Michelle and Kelly cannot say the same thing. It's hard to compete with Beyonce (and her machine) while she's doing arena tours and you're booked for night clubs. Their music doesn't get the same treatment. You can pick up a magazine and see Beyonce advertising makeup, weave, or music. Turn on the TV and see her videos or movies. Go into a store and see the overstock of her music. These other girls don't have that. Her machine only gained slight steam by adding Jay-Z, but no grown ass men ride around listening to Beyonce because of Jay-Z. Not gonna happen. Ladies may be listening to Jay-Z more because their "she-ro" is married to him, but Mr. Carter has less than nothing to do with Beyonce being Beyonce.

There are a lot of good responses here and to the person who placed the thread in the "No Shit Hall of Fame" it wasn't to speak the obvious, more like a fitting title to what the post was about, This isn't Shakespeare for a reason, I'm just tired of Beyonce and her "alter ego" and them becoming every other woman's alter ego. We get it. She's popular, but she's still nothing to erect statues over.

midiscover said:

contrast between classy and not so classy




please Jay showed her how to beget an empire. Daddy had been stumping DC for over a decade without that level of success for Bey.

Timmy84 said:

lol, looks familiar.....

Timmy84 said:

BklynBabe said:

You seem like one of those people I try to avoid interacting with: Jay-Z fans. She had a solo deal before the group even disbanded, landed movie roles, clearly establishing that if anything went wrong SHE WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF. Beyonce was the "empire" from the beginning. She was the main attraction and Matthew made that clear. Your wanting to give Jay Z credit for something he didn't do is strange. With the huge popularity of DC she was raising her own status, dating Jay didn't affect her relationship with Columbia records. Her plaques prior to even knowing Jay-Z do exist, so he cannot possibly deserve credit for this of all things.

I understand he's influential, but come on. You're laying it on a little too thick. He's not why she's where she is. His role is that of a supporting husband, but he doesn't make any of her deals, he's not in her pockets, and she has her own business to keep track of. This painting her as "nothing without him" is wack. She was on the come up, this was a decent enough partnership. But seriously, he didn't put the world on to Beyonce. He put her on a couple tracks, he returned the favor, but she had the industry at her door long before Mr. Carter.