Beyonce - Crazy Overrated?

staxwax

I was wondering how the strut feels about this. While its probably beyond debate that she has a great voice and is a great performer - I get the feeling that the whole -  shes a goddess - status which seems to be commonplace in reference to 'queen bey' is maaad suspect.

I cant see her in a line up next to all time greats such as marvin gaye, aretha, chaka khan etc. because i cant think of any timeless songs she can take credit for. Lets be real - crazy in love and single ladies. Timeless classics? Seems to me a large portion of her catalogue is overproduced and hyper marketed and will not survive the - is this on your desert island list ten years from now? test.

How does the strut feel?

Classic status - orrrrr   Maaddddd Overrated?

Duderonomy

My interest in Beyoncé begins and ends at outright sexual objectification. She was crazy hot with that group of other girls, and matured into a dazzling 10 as a solo artist. Haven’t laid eyes on her in recent years, so unable to say if she still deserves adoration.

Beyond crazy in love and the ring-finger song... I dunno. Was she overrated?

Jimster

I am in the Maaddddd Overrated camp, but I can't say I am a Hattuer - I love the odd one, like "Me, Myself and I" and of course the big thing with her has always been the whole package, as Duder alludes to - she's drop-dead gorgeous in the videos and the Sasha Fierce shows are impeccable.  But that's the thing, you don't think about her solely for the music, it's the visuals as well.  These are the times in which we live - this kind of marketing wasn't there for Aretha and Chaka. 

She can sing, but I can't say she has a great voice - you'd have to be an Aretha or a Chaka in my book for that kind of praise.  However, her "Brand" will be around longer than any of her tunes.  Unfortunately the bar is lower now and Gen XYZ (or whatever pigeonhole the youth belong in now) don't know the real or don't care - She is the woman that women want to be and men want to be with.

I can't say that's an entirely negative thing - for a woman of colour to be allowed to be the "Face of" major brands etc. is something that Aretha would have never gotten at her age.  That has to be progress, right?  And she also gets Sports Illustrated shoots, allowing herself to be sexually objectified AND YET still gets to be seen as a role model for women/wimmin/sisters everywhere and not some disposable bimbo - quite the feat.

Jimster

I think Whitney could have done what Beyonce has done, but 25 years ago.  She got with a bad-boy and had MTV behind her.

And shit, Whitters did have a great voice.

But she ended up mad as a wasp and constipated.

  

klezmer electro-thug beats

I'm noncommittal on the catalogue except "Single Ladies". That song, to me, is "bad" in a way that I can't think of a parallel. It's not just "ugh, unpleasant" feelings listening to it, like most songs you dislike, it's like a visceral... like allergy. The rhythm of the song is personally annoying in a way that other off-beat quirky meters don't bother me, the repetitiveness makes me cringe like no 10 minute vamp with no chord change can, the lyrics are really gross too, but all of those factors combined still don't really explain it. The worst one hit dreck, the Crazy Frog song, whatever, they don't cause this reaction.

Hearing that song kind of hurts me in my heart. I can't explain it. So I can't forgive that song.

ketan

I don't think she's crazy overrated.  Maybe some of her mid-career stuff is a touch overrated but there's stuff like Me, Myself and I that I dig.



b/w



But I digress.  I like Beyonce and while she's not in my top 5 or anything, I can understand how she connected with people. There are classics in the Destiny's Child era, and she led the charge on that dgaf attitude that Monica and dem also had.  Crazy in Love and Formation are kinda classic to me.  Single Ladies is TERRIBLE.  

I never thought I'd be defending Beyonce tbh.

staxwax

ketan said:

I don't think she's crazy overrated.  Maybe some of her mid-career stuff is a touch overrated

But I digress.  I like Beyonce and while she's not in my top 5 or anything, I can understand how she connected with people. There are classics in the Destiny's Child era, and she led the charge on that dgaf attitude that Monica and dem also had.  Crazy in Love and Formation are kinda classic to me.  Single Ladies is TERRIBLE.  

I never thought I'd be defending Beyonce tbh.

Thats fine but the general tone in public conversation is that shes some kind of divine ray of light in the art world and i really have to cal bullshit on that one. A catchy hook and a chi lites sample a producer came up with for you do not put you in the GOAT section of music imo. Like I said 10 years from now what will her legacy look like next to the true goats of music? Pretty shriveled up and stale is my prediction

ketan

in the art world

I think 10 years from now, the general public will still revere her as a great artist because, beyond the quality of some of her songs, her expression is very unique (videos and fashion and attitude etc). 

But I agree that she doesn't stack up as a legendary songwriter.  She's written some great ones (Say My Name) but it's not on the scale of other greats.

Sobriety Won

I could watch her all day .....with the vol on mute.

SPlDEY

Fuck that dude. Beyonce in her prime vs. Any girl ever. 

/endthread

Finah111

Brilliant business woman(fleecing idiots yearly), good looking, do i want to hear her sing...no. Faux panther stance with blonde weave, writing skills of a toddler and subject matter of the lowest level. she has been complaining about men for 20 solid years.  

ketan

Finah111 said:

she has been complaining about men for 20 solid years.  

lol

Duderonomy

ketan said:

in the art world

beyond the quality of some of her songs

But I agree that she doesn't stack up as a legendary songwriter.  She's written some great ones (Say My Name) but it's not on the scale of other greats.

How many of these songs does she actually write?

I get the feeling that she was spotted as the hottest chick in a girl group and then the labels do everything else. Everything.

klezmer electro-thug beats

I can't picture a future world where she has stopped releasing records and people still seek her stuff out/drop her name in 'significant artists of the past' conversations as opposed to just 'extremely rich power couple/celebrity' conversations. But maybe I haven't got the most representative peer group to form an accurate prediction.

Scuba Steve

Off topic... anyone see them Kelly Rowland yoga pants commercials yet?