𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐃 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥:
𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐲/𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚
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*Bey voice* You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation.
Sometimes the best way to go about controversy, aside from a formal apology, is to make a tongue in cheek reference or expressing it through art. Lampooning rumors might help artists as they attempt to 'reclaim' certain titles given so that the public can't use anything against them, and so things gets old. They also might want to share their #side of the #story.
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Here are 12 examples of popstars addressing rumors and scandals through multimedia.
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12. Ariana Grande - "What Will My Scandal Be (SNL Monologue)"Addressed: Donut Licking Scandal
Leaked footage from a security cam of a donut shop showed Ariana and her then-bf licking donuts that were on display. While looking at the sugary items around the store, she said "“What the f*ck is that? I hate Americans” in a raised voice.
She made a formal written apology about how she was
#frustrated about child obesity and made an apology video on her YT channel. On an episode of SNL where she was hosting, she addressed it again as a 'childish' scandal, and poked fun at the idea with the song "What Will My Scandal Be" hoping one day to achieve an 'adult' scandal.
OP's notes? MY issue with this moment was not the fact she was being ick nast and lickin them donuts, but her
rude behavior and saying "what the f*ck is that" to the person working who was showing her a tray of donuts. Like... okay. Still skeptic about her personality & juvenile social media persona but whatevs! I'm here for the music.
#SweetenerIsComing11. Christina Aguilera - "Stripped Intro"Addressed:
Fred Durst HarassmentXtina and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst would be an unlikely musical
collaboration for the 2000 VMA performance, but Xtina expressed how much she liked different kinds of music other than the pop music she made. Their performance met with mixed reviews, with some calling Durst hypocritical pop-loving trash.
To his macho defense, here's
Fred's words about the collab: "I already told you guys before,
I did it all for the nookie, man. That's why I did that with Christina.
I want that girl, that's that," he continued. "What do you want? I don't want to make music like her. I can't stand that kind of music. People were like, 'What'd you do that for?'
What do you think I did that for? It's obvious, isn't it?" Apparently Durst made moves towards Christina in the months previously. Xtina told MTV there were no such relations and no one got any 'nookie' from her.
Xtina faced more (misogyny fueled) attacks in this era, including the diss from Eminem conjuring dating rumors with Durst and TRL host Carson Daly in "The Real Slim Shady". After this diss and her whole life after the media, she directly sampled the "I did it for the nookie" line for the "Stripped Intro" off of the
Stripped record.
10. Mariah Carey - "Obsessed"Addressed:
Eminem Dating Rumors/DissesSUPPOSEDLY during her Glitter era, Mariah was dating Eminem for a few months.
Eminem was asked about Mariah when a journalist was asking if there was a relationship that happened. He confirmed there was, and that she was "too high maintenance" and was jealous of the fact he was spending more time with his daughter than her.
People alluded to the idea that the song "Clown" off of
Charmbraclet was about Em. Em later used an alleged voice recording of Mariah in his concerts, and made a reference to Mariah again in his
Relapse album saying he missed the relationship.
She released the song "Obsessed" in 2009, which people speculate that the stalker in the music video where she dressed in drag was supposed to be Em. Em responded to this with "The Warning", containing the lyrics "only reason I dissed you in the first place is because you denied seeing me. Now I'm pissed off". In the end, Mariah doesn't acknowledge Em anymore.
9. Jessica Simpson - "With You"Addressed: "
Chicken or Tuna"
A more light-hearted 'controversy', on the show
Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, Jessica made the iconic reality tv moment of questioning why Chicken of the Sea tuna was called "chicken of the sea" - and asking if she was eating fish or chicken. This got people buzzing and questioning if she was really having a 'dumb blonde moment'. Don't know if people were actually arguing about the ingredients used in the canned product during this time.
Jessica made a nod to the moment in the music video for "With You" where she can be seen chillin on a sofa eating a can of
chicken tuna (@ 1:11).
8. Rihanna ft. Chr*s Br*wn - "Nobody's Business"Addressed:
Relationship/domestic violenceThis song does not necessarily address the (idk the word to use... notorious?) assault, so I don't think I need to go into it. But given the fact it caused a media frenzy, the idea of Rihanna collaborating with Chr*s Brown three years after the attack was... a choice within itself.
Rihanna stated that she forgives Chr*s for what he's done, which is reasonable to be at peace with oneself. But releasing a love song between a convicted abuser and victim may be sending the wrong message to the public. But hey, it's
#nobodysbusiness.
7. Lady Gaga - "Telephone" Music VideoAddressed:
Hermaphrodite RumorsThe curious screen grab of Lady Gaga during her 2009 Glastonbury performance sparked rumors of her being a man or hermaphrodite. The picture captured mid-performance shows her crotch area with the
#illusion of something being packed under there.
Some people cite Christina Aguilera's "
man or woman" comment in 2008 to be the root of this rumor, because at first notice, 'Lady Gaga' could sound like a drag stage name.
This rumor was brought up in conversations about Lady Gaga - irl or reported in media. It was even brought up on the
Jonathan Ross show in her interview where she stated"yes, I have a huge donkey dick." Lady Gaga made fun of the rumors again in her "Telephone" music video where the security guards strip her of her clothes and find that she *unfortunately* doesn't have a dick (@ 1:00).
6. Beyoncé ft Nicki Minaj - "***Flawless (Remix)"Addressed: Solange's Attack on Jay-Z
The leaked elevator footage from TMZ shows Solange appearing angry at Jay-Z, and then physically brawling while a security guard tried to break it up. Beyonce in this footage stands calmly and does not engage in the situation. Paparazzi photos of the
#family stepping out of the Met Gala says it all.
The clip went viral, and apparently Solange's sales went up. In retrospect, people infer that it was the night Solange found out about
Jay-Z's infidelity, which was the theme in Lemonade.
A remix of "Flawless" (off of her self-titled album) featuring Nicki Minaj was released a some months after the controversy, where Bey makes a nod to the altercation with "
of course sometimes shit go down when it's a billion dollars on an elevator." Don't know if she was trying to be neutral in the situation but we'll never know what really went down that night!
5. Madonna - "Human Nature"Addressed:
Sex bookControversy is
human second nature to her. Madonna released the
Sex book during her
Erotica era which got a very.. strong public reaction. The book featured explicit photography of Madonna in sexual situations such as
#threesomes,
#s&m,
#bestiality, and anecdotes of
#pedophile fantasies. The
Erotica album itself was a commercial downturn compared to her successful run in the 80's, but critically acclaimed.
The followup
Bedtime Stories sort of addresses the criticisms of her artistry and public image at the time, with "Human Nature" directly talking about the
Sex moment:
"
Did I say something wrong?
Oops, I didn't know I couldn't talk about sex
(I musta been crazy)
Did I stay too long?
Oops, I didn't know I couldn't speak my mind
(What was I thinking)"
People refer to the Erotica era as a groundbreaking moment for the discussion of sexuality and expression, while others at the time were not phased by it calling it a stunt for the 'sake of controversy'.
4. Kanye West - "Famous"Addressed:
Kanye Interrupting Taylor Swift's SpeechTaylor Swift won an award for the Best Female category during the 2009 VMAs. Kanye
#infamously crashed on stage to take the mic to say Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video was one of the best videos of all time, left the stage, and left Taylor standing awkwardly for a moment to continue her acceptance. This moment went viral and meme'd. A year later at the VMA's,
Taylor performed the song "Innocent" which was dedicated to the incident.
In 2016,
Kanye dropped the song "Famous" addressing not specifically the VMA fiasco, but his relationship with Taylor saying he made her famous:
"
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
Why? I made that bitch famous (Goddamn)
I made that bitch famous
For all the girls that got dick from Kanye West"
and this brings us to...
3. Taylor Swift - "Look What You Made Me Do"Addressed:
Kim Kardashian Leaking Taylor's Approval of 'Famous' Lyrics Before its ReleaseWhew, ONTD was on a field day with that one. Taylor made a subtle reference to Famous (which premiered during his fashion show)
in her 2016 Grammys speech where she hopes people don't let others take credit for others' success.
So as this article said, Kim Kardashian went to Snapchat to expose the conversation Taylor had with Kanye about the approval of being mentioned in "Famous", pointing out the hypocrisy in Taylor's speech.
This gave Taylor the title of being a seedy and fake "snake" - a name that caught on social media. Taylor
used the public perception of her, including her snake image and 'playing the victim', in "LWYMMD", the lead off of her album
Reputation. So what is the truth.gif
#teamnoone2. George Michael - "Outside"Addressed: Arrest for Cruising at a Public Restroom Scandal
In 1998, George Michael was found 'engaging in a lewd act' when he was discovered cruising in the public restroom in a California park by an undercover cop. He said:
"I got followed into the restroom and then this cop—I didn't know it was a cop, obviously—he started playing this game, which I think is called, 'I'll show you mine, you show me yours, and then when you show me yours, I'm going to nick [arrest] you!" He was fined $810 and owed 80 hours of community service.
A couple of months after the incident, he referenced the situation in the music video for "Outside" featuring couples being caught in PDA with surveillance footage, George Michael with a dance number in a public restroom, and a couple of gay cops making out.
Although George took a satirical approach and owned up to the expose, the arrest outed him and made him reveal his homosexuality after claiming to be bisexual in his private life. He faced homophobia in the tabloids for some years after.
1. Michael Jackson ft. Janet Jackson - "Scream"Addressed:
Child molestation accusations/Media CoverageIn the late 80s and early 90s, Michael Jackson was at the center of tabloids talking about his appearance, his eccentricities like having a pet chimpanzee, short-term marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, and child sexual abuse accusations. The stress caused him to take a lot of painkillers and go into rehab, and "Scream" was a response to his life surrounding media.
Fun fact!: "Scream" is the most expensive music video ever made, costing around $7 million.
Probably a better example of him making a commentary about the tabloids is previously in the 1987 music video for "
Leave Me Alone", where he made fun of the rumors of him wanting to purchase Elephant Man's bones and sleeping in a hyberbaric chamber.
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Edited direct linking modz
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