 | |  |  | Beyonce Knowles News & Gossip
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| | Beyonce developed 'Cowboy Carter' after she did not feel 'welcome' at the CMAs | | Added 128 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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When Beyonce released Lemonade in 2016, it was immediately recognized as her magnum opus, arguably the most important/significant album in a CV full of significant music. At first, I wasn?t sure what I really thought about ?Daddy Lessons? when I heard the album/studio version. Then Beyonce re-recorded it with the then-Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks) and in November 2016, they performed the song at the CMAs. It quickly became one of the most talked-about live performances of the year, and most significant CMA performance of all time. While many of the country music people in the room were visibly into it, there was absolutely some hostility in the room and there was a huge amount of salty white country people trashing the song and the performance online. The CMAs briefly deleted the performance from their archives, then brought it back after everyone called them racist trash.
I bring all of that up because all of that was the precursor to Beyonce?s new country album, Cowboy Carter. On Tuesday, Beyonce revealed the album cover and she made an oblique reference to what happened in 2016:
act ii COWBOY CARTER 3.29
Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of TEXAS HOLD ?EM and 16 CARRIAGES. I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist?s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.
This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed?and it was very clear that I wasn?t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.
The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.
I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.
I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE?I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop.
This ain?t a Country album. This is a ?Beyonc? album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y?all!
[From Beyonce]
?This ain?t a Country album. This is a ?Beyonc? album.? Period. She?s really saying ?y?all wanted to say a Black artist isn?t welcome at the CMAs, that?s cute, I?m about to Beyoncify your whole gddamn genre.? Seriously though, this is Peak Virgo grudge-holding. You want to tell BEYONCE, the Most Virgo Ever, that she?s unwelcome somewhere? Well, she?s going to spend six-plus years showing you why you?re you should kept your fking mouth shut.
Beyonce also posted a TikTok compilation of all of the fun videos people made dancing to ?Texas Hold ?Em.?
not beyonc posting a tiktok celebrating all the success of TEXAS HOLD 'EM, ICONIC?pic.twitter.com/f4BaSadeMi
?????? (@beyoncegarden) March 19, 2024
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| | Beyonce & Jay-Z's Tiffany's campaign has riled Jean-Michel Basquiat's friends | | Added 1050 days ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Ever since Tiffany?s released their new ad campaign with Beyonce and Jay-Z on the first day of Virgo season, it?s just been one thing after another. First, the giant yellow diamond necklace which Beyonce wears in the campaign is literally a blood diamond from South Africa. People also complained about the frantic tokenization of Beyonce as ?the first Black woman? to wear the necklace. They?re mad about the $2 million tax write-off donation to HBCUs to smooth over the controversy. But the strongest ire has been for Tiffany?s use of a rarely-seen Jean-Michel Basquiat painting. The Basquiat painting was in private hands for decades, and it was used in the campaign because of Basquiat?s use of the robin?s egg blue, the signature color of Tiffany?s. The problem? Basquiat didn?t use that shade of blue as some kind of ode to Tiffany?s. And now Basquiat?s friends and former coworkers are speaking out:
For close friends of Basquiat?s who lived and worked with the late, trailblazing artist in the late ?70s and early ?80s, the answer is quite clear: Their loved one was not thinking about Tiffany?s at all while conjuring Equals Pi. ?I?d seen the ad a couple days ago and I was horrified,? Alexis Adler tells The Daily Beast. Adler, who lived with Basquiat in his earlier years of art-making between 1979-1980, maintains that ?the commercialization and commodification of Jean and his art at this point?it?s really not what Jean was about.?
At first glance, it might seem like the function of the ad, to sell a more modern Tiffany & Co. to their wealthy consumer base, might align with Basquiat?s desire to sell his art at a high price, but where his art was displayed mattered more so than the monetary transaction itself. ?Unfortunately, the museums came to Jean?s art late, so most of his art is in private hands and people don?t get to see that art except for the shows. Why show it as a prop to an ad?? asks Adler. ?Loan it out to a museum. In a time where there were very few Black artists represented in Western museums, that was his goal: to get to a museum.?
The fact that Equals Pi will permanently hang on the walls of Tiffany?s flagship boutique on Fifth Avenue proves a sore spot for artists like Al Diaz?who was a close friend of Basquiat?s and collaborated with him as a teenager on their street art duo SAMO?and Stephen Torton, who mixed paints, framed hundreds of Basquiat?s paintings, and worked as his assistant for many years. ?People think that his association with luxury was because he was impressed with that shit, but he couldn?t care less,? Diaz explains. ?It?s not just about wearing an Armani suit. If he wore it, it?s because he could buy it and fk it up, it wasn?t because the stitches were fabulous or well-made.?
But what?s happened in the last decade or so, as images of both Basquiat the face and Basquiat the aesthetic swarm brands like Avian, Urban Decay and Coach, is an overemphasis on the more lurid aspects of his biography?the party animal, the fashionisto, the drug addict?and a flattening of the art itself. ?It?s lost in translation,? Diaz remarks, exasperated. ?People won?t see the depth. At this point the only people that could afford a Basquiat are people he was targeting. Like, you?re the oppressor. They buy it out so that it becomes meaningless.?
[From The Daily Beast]
I get it. Tiffany?s has basically turned an anti-corporate, anti-homogenized-culture artist into a neutered, apolitical corporate mascot. The Daily Beast piece keeps going though, I learned something: Tiffany?s didn?t even trademark that ?robin?s egg blue? color until 1998. Basquiat was using that color in his paintings long before it was trademarked for Tiffany?s. His friends also point out that he mixed his own colors and he often used that shade or similar shades of blue in other works and it had nothing to do with Tiffanys.
Anyway, yes, this is a huge PR mess for not just Tiffany?s but the art world. I kind of wonder if Beyonce and Jay-Z regret their involvement too.
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A post shared by Stephen Torton (@stephen_torton)
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| | Beyonce won't attend this year's Struggle Grammys despite her ten nominations | | Added 3 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Beyonce has not attended the Grammy Awards since 2018. She?s been nominated for Grammys since then, but she almost always gets shafted for the big-category Grammys, with both nominations and awards. The worst moment for the Beyhive was when Adele?s 25 swept the Grammys the same year that Beyonce?s Lemonade was nominated. That one still hurts, and I say that as an Adele fan too. Adele?s 25 was a great album. Beyonce?s Lemonade is arguably one of the albums of the past two decades, and it is still (to my mind) her greatest work. Even Adele (a true member of the Hive) was upset that Beyonce got snubbed that year. Well, true story: Beyonce isnt fking with the Grammys this year, despite being nominated. I doubt shell fk with the Grammys ever again.
Beyonc wont be making an appearance at the Grammys this year. Despite leading the pack in nominations this year, earning a total of nine, the singer was not included in the list of performers scheduled to take the stage on Sunday.
Speaking with The Los Angeles Times, Recording Academy interim chief executive Harvey Mason Jr. shut down rumors that the 24-time Grammy winner would be making a surprise appearance.
Its unfortunate, because shes such a big part of the Recording Academy, Mason told the outlet in a story published on Saturday. We absolutely wish we had her onstage.
In recent years, the awards show has received criticism from a number of stars, some of whom have chosen to skip out on musics biggest night entirely. Although Beyonc and husband JAY-Z attended the annual Roc Nation Brunch ahead of the 2019 Grammys, they made it clear on their song 2018 single Apesh-t that they would not be attending the show.
Tell the Grammys f? that 0-for-8 s?/ Have you ever seen the crowd goin apes?? JAY Z raps on the track, a nod to being nominated eight times for his 4:44 album in 2018 and not winning in a single category.
JAY Z previously boycotted attending the ceremony for six years before attending the 2018 ceremony to support his wife.
In 2019, Kendrick Lamar, the most-nominated artist of the year, also declined to perform, as did Childish Gambino and Drake. The Weeknd also revealed this year that he will boycott the awards show in the future, after his latest album and its hit single Blinding Lights were snubbed from nominations. I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys, Tesfaye, 31, told The New York Times earlier this month.
[From People]
In case anyone was paying attention, Bey actually got 10 Grammy nominations this year, the bulk of which are for Black Parade, although three of the noms are for the ?Savage? remix with Megan Thee Stallion. The racism in and around the Grammys has been going on forever, I absolutely remember it being a thing when I was a kid, and the Grammys were slow to recognize rap and hip-hop even back then. It?s still insane, and the voting transparency issue is only one part of it. There needs to be a big overhaul of the whole system, including how music is categorized, honestly. Anyway, good for Beyonce. If I was in her position, I?d boycott the sh-t too.
Photos of Beyonce at the 2018 Grammys, the last time she attended.
Embed from Getty Images
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| | Beyonce & Serena Williams send their support to the Duchess of Sussex | | Added 3 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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The Duchess of Sussex has enjoyed so much celebrity support from her American friends throughout this ordeal. During Meghan?s years in England, most of the support was behind-the-scenes, people quietly visiting her or calling her. But the Oprah interview and everything around it marked a new day in her support. The support has gone global, and I?ve seen comment after comment about how women of color, specifically Black women, see themselves in Meghan?s story. Her story is one of being oppressed, of getting blamed for everything under the sun, of double-standards, of being viewed as mean/angry/aggressive, of ?making white people cry.? Beyonce knows how that sh-t feels.
On Tuesday night (March 9), Beyonc took to her website to extend support to Markle, who opened up during the interview about just how challenging her time in the royal spotlight was.
Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership, Beyonc wrote next to a photo of the pair meeting for the first time alongside their famous husbands at the London premiere of The Lion King in the summer of 2019. We are all strengthened and inspired by you.
[From Billboard]
It?s not breaking news that Beyonce loves Meghan they met at the Lion King premiere, obviously, and Beyonce also let people know that Meghan is a queen to her at the 2019 Brit Awards. I hope the Beyhive is ready. Please blanket the royal reporters? nasty asses with bee emojis.
Immediately following the Oprah interview, Meghan?s friend Serena Williams posted this statement, below. Serena has gotten a really good look at what these people did to her friend and Rena is NOT happy.
pic.twitter.com/fYx4HlZutl
Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) March 8, 2021
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| | Beyonce's fashion in Black is King was amazing and she wore so many Black designers | | Added 3 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Queen Bey has been using her art to disrupt the world since she dropped Lemonade?s visual album back in 2016. She followed that with Homecoming on Netflix in April, 2019. This weekend, she gave all black and brown boys and girls life with her Disney+ release, Black is King. Black is King is a visual album that reimagines the journey of Lion King?s Simba by taking us on a little boy?s journey of self discovery. But not of just himself but of his culture and his people.
The mixing of Afrobeats throughout the album gave me life and Brown Skin Girl literally made me tear up. But I will get to the cultural moments in that visual in another article.
First, I want to focus on how Beyonce conveyed a message through the exceptional fashion celebrating the diaspora throughout. Bey wore several well known designers of Europe, but what impressed me the most were the smaller and less known fashion labels helmed by black or African designers. There was even one created by a Kosovian designer as well that I absolutely loved.
Beyonce slayed me with the black and white striped number (above) with gold hardware created by Ivorian American designer Loza Maleombho. Bey rocked this outfit in bantu knots and cornwalls as she wiggled to Already. I couldn?t help but wiggle with her because I love Afrobeats.
Beyonce gave me goddess vibes when she channeled Oshun throughout, a Yoruba Orisha (goddess) of the sweetwaters. Oshun is represented by yellow, Pink and green. The above yellow frock by Senegalese designer Adama Paris was a major nod to the goddess.
Then Bey decided she was going to snatch our wigs as she rolled in desert sands in this sparkly number by African American designer Destiney Bleu, famously known for her crystal embellished pieces and for suing Khloe Kardashian for knocking off her work. Bleu got her validation when her design was featured in Black is King.
Then the Queen decided she was going to give us water in this afro-futuristic high slit corseted blue number by African-American designer Jerome LaMaar of 531jerome. It makes her look like a moving ocean which I am sure was the aesthetic she was going for.
Finally, Beyonce gave us Amazonian Queen in this Kosovian designer Kutja Meri cheetah print off-the-shoulder number custom made with Beyonce?s signature high slit. Despite not being of African descent, Kutja captured the essence of blackness in this stunning outfit. It was a masterpiece that gave me my forever mood and I can?t unsee it.
Needless to say, Black is King invigorated most of my senses with sound, emotion, and visuals. I can see the vision these artists have for the future and it is bright and filled with badass fashion.
View this post on Instagram
BLACK IS KING . PERIOD. BEAUTIFUL. TEXTURED. COMPLEX. I DO THE MOST EVERY TIME BECAUSE I AM TIRED OF THE MUNDANE I'M BRINGING BACK THE MAGIC. #BLACKISKING #beyonce #beyhive #disney
A post shared by 5:31 JRME (@531jerome) on Jul 31, 2020 at 10:06am PDT
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| | Taylor Swift will release her new album 'folklore' tonight at midnight | | Added 4 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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I?ve been so grateful that Taylor Swift hasn?t chimed in this month on Kanye West. She could have said some sh-t, and I think there would have been many people who would have applauded her if she said some sh-t, but she didn?t. And so I?ll applaud her maturity there. It?s also interesting to see how Taylor hasn?t been making a ton of news during the lockdown/pandemic. She?s used her platform to talk about Black Lives Matter and good for her, but there hasn?t been any gossip. I wondered if she was using this time to work and it turns out, she was doing exactly that. She?s pulling a Beyonce and dropping a surprise album at midnight tonight. The album is called folklore.
Surprise ? Tonight at midnight I?ll be releasing my 8th studio album, folklore; an entire brand new album of songs I?ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. Pre-order at https://t.co/zSHpnhUlLb pic.twitter.com/4ZVGy4l23b
Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 23, 2020
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| | Beyonce released 'Black Parade' for Juneteenth: 'Being Black is your activism' | | Added 4 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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I?m well aware that the youths have found many ways to keep track of their favorite celebrities. The Snake Fam seems to always know where Taylor Swift is because they track her planes (it?s not as creepy as it sounds), and there are always people giving updates about the locations of various royals, musicians, actors, etc. But doesn?t it feel like no one really knows where Beyonce is at any given time unless she WANTS you to know? Beyonce was photographed over the weekend, deboarding a private plane in the Hamptons. She wore a mask and carried one of the twins.
Beyonc celebrates Juneteenth by flying to The Hamptons https://t.co/JLcQmNIPwn pic.twitter.com/SPIpJTUmRF
Page Six (@PageSix) June 22, 2020
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| | Beyonce finally sent the Ivy Park/Adidas collection to Kim Kardashian, lol | | Added 4 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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View this post on Instagram
Kim in Adidas X Ivy Park!
A post shared by Kim Kardashian Snapchat (@kimkardashiansnap) on Jan 28, 2020 at 10:33pm PST
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| | Beyonce & Jay-Z arrived late to the Globes, but they brought their own booze | | Added 4 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Beyonc (@beyonce) on Jan 6, 2020 at 1:05am PST
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| | Beyonce declares that Blue Ivy Carter is a 'cultural icon?: agree or disagree' | | Added 4 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Blue Ivy Carter is only seven years old. It feels like she?s always been here, judging us for being peasants and worrying about how we?re all completely uncool. Blue Ivy Carter has already achieved so much in her seven years: she?s a fashionista, a songwriter, a singer, a model, an actress, a dancer and a teacher. She teaches her parents to be better, to do better. She single-handedly saved not one but TWO Grammy telecasts. Do I need to say it? Does Beyonce need to say it? Blue Ivy is already an icon. Beyonce said it too! Beyonce has been suing a wedding planner whose business is called ?Blue Ivy.? It?s all about who owns the name Blue Ivy/Blue Ivy Carter. I?ll let The Blast explain:
Beyonc is laying down the law in the battle with a wedding planner over ?Blue Ivy?, calling her daughter a ?cultural icon? in court documents. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Beyonc is firing back at the Veronica Morales over in the trademark battle for ?Blue Ivy?. Beyonc and Morales have been locked in a dispute over the trademark for years. Bey has been trying to get the trademark to her daughter?s name, but Morales claims she had already been using it. They are scheduled to head to trial in the case.
In the newly filed documents, Beyonc argues her case for being granted the trademark. She even throws a little shade towards Morales in the process. Beyonc says Morales claim that, ?that consumers are likely to be confused between a boutique wedding event planning business and Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of two of the most famous performers in the world, is frivolous and should be refused in its entirety.? Beyonc points out her trademark application is for ?Blue Ivy Carter? NOT ?Blue Ivy?.
She says, ?the presence of the word ?CARTER? ties the commercial impression of BGK?s Mark to the celebrity Blue Ivy Carter rather than Opposer?s regional event planning business.? Beyonc says Morales runs a ?small business, with just three regional offices and a handful of employees?, with weak online presence and poorly subscribed social media accounts.
She accuses Morales of having, ?exhibited a pattern and practice of affirmatively attempting to connect its brand with Blue Ivy Carter to increase its exposure and drum up business.? Bey points to interviews Morales gave following her daughter?s birth. In the radio interviews, she talked about her business receiving more attention. She even admitted reaching out to Beyonc?s agent. Beyonc says Morales also had a sale on Blue Ivy?s birthday.
[From The Blast]
I mean? this woman already had a business named Blue Ivy when Beyonce and Jay-Z named their daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Do I believe that Bey should be able to trademark her daughter?s name? For sure. But I also believe that Beyonce shouldn?t go around suing people for naming their business something years before Beyonce wanted the name for one of her children. All that being said, I?m glad that everyone acknowledges that Blue Ivy Carter is a cultural icon. Think of it this way: none of us will ever be as cool as Blue Ivy. Period, the end.
Embed from Getty Images
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