I know, I know, I was supposed to publish my final installment about the television shows that I enjoyed this year (and it will be coming but I had to get something off of my chest first, plus Black Mirror Never Have I Ever came out and I have some things to say.)
As you probably know, Janelle Monae recently released their phenomenal album The Age of Pleasure. While I have seen a lot of positive reception, the negative reactions to the album pulled me back to a night when a similar situation occurred.
It's January 14th, 20222. Omicron’s world tour continues to ravage the population, Washington continues to be Washington, and what would the world be without perpetual war?
So, what do you do to decompress? listen to new twigs of course!
Her first mixtape under Atlantic Records, CAPRISONGS, was an alluring amalgamation of afrobeats, electronica, r&b, dancehall, reggae, and grime. did it click yet?
twigs is undeniably one of my favorite artists. LP1, Magdalene, and EP1, and not overrated ass M3LL155X are some of the best projects of the 21st century and I could (and have) gone into detail as to why they’re marvelous feats of experimentation and art.
I say this to say, if CAPRISONGS was bad, I would say so. But it was not. In fact, it’s my personal favorite twigs project.
We’re a good few lines into this entry and you might be wondering, what was the reason for the twigs' worship? Well, I’m glad I anticipated you asking.
It was not shocking but frustrating to see some of the reactions, reviews, and bursts of rage that ensued after the mixtape’s release.
This tweet perfectly summarizes the reactions from some fans and others who didn’t bother to enter this conversation in good faith [x].
Now some of you might feel a wave of relief seeing your thoughts expressed in this post. Others might be taken aback and even attempt to absolve themselves from the conversation, but it must be said.
As much as fandoms across the internet love to point out the obvious and egregious bigotry within pop music spaces (and please continue because those ingrates need another decades' worth of lashings), I think it would be nice to have that same conversation with our Pitchfork-obsessed cohort of self-proclaimed music connoisseurs.
I, one of many, find it very amusing that “alt stans” as Twitter likes to call them, are supposedly fascinated by the experimental, the boundary-pushing, and the disruptive, and those same fans find themselves attached at the hip to…cis white women who primarily make alternative rock music (*GASP*). Now, of course, that would be unfair to just end there. We can’t forget about the tokens!
Look through any amalgamation of their favorite albums ranked, and you’ll find one of the following: The Velvet Rope, [insert FKA Twigs album here], Take Me Apart, Lemonade, and if they’re feeling really risky Afrodisiac by Brandy.
Before you try it, these are some of the best albums in music history, but you’re not slick. Before black music fans and critics carved out a space of themselves online, you were lucky to come across at least one list that included LP1 or A Seat At The Table.
Then, that led me to think, what about these albums (besides their excellence) resonates with an otherwise pretentious flock of fans? Well, these albums and their parent artists are either (1) exceptional artists of color lord knows I wanted to put exceptional negro here but we move, or better yet (2) serious exceptional artists of color, the operative word here being serious.
These artists typically pull masterpieces out of their minds. In Janelle’s case, they created a musical universe that absolutely accomplishes much more than a Marvel or a DC no payola. no promo. no gimmicks. just real music. The ArchAndroid is easily one of the most impressive debut albums in the 21st century. Similarly, LP1 and Magdalene are both marvelous feats. However, outside of a few fun tracks (that got unnecessarily drug through the mud) these albums are abstract and dense.
If dense and abstract is your thing, that’s great, love that for you. But let that standard remain the same for all shades. It’s quite comical to see some of the records people go up for in the name of it being “camp”, or the songs that are appreciated for being “fun” and “allegedly good” whether it’s ironic or otherwise.
When the artists’ hue is darker and/or deeper, it's perfectly fine when they’re doing so over obscure electronic beats or lifeless guitar strings. But God forbid the album be (*gasp*) Pop music, (*GASP*) R&B, or, (*SOUND THE ALARMS*) Afrobeats.
You might be reading this, understanding my argument, and are currently thinking “Well this doesn’t apply to me” and for that I commend you. This isn’t meant to be one big propaganda piece to convince you that The Age of Pleasure or Caprisongs must be your favorite record or that the respective artists can do no wrong (I mean have you heard Killer? Listening to that mid lowkey broke my heart fr.)
Instead, it’s meant to clarify one thing. We’re not being ridiculous and again, you’re not slick.
I think the decision to make music for “the girls that get it”. has been a driving force behind the careers of many black critical darlings, they have always been making art that felt right to them and naturally amassed a fanbase of folks who understood their artistic direction.
However, it is unfair to flatten a phrase as such due to its inherent flexibility. You may not be one of “the girls” in question, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is forcing yourself into a conversation that does not pertain to you and erasing the crucial factors behind the project.
I would like to reiterate that this isn’t meant to be a PR campaign nor is it an attempt to restrict your freedom of opinion, but it wouldn’t hurt to interrogate the reasoning behind a quick dismissal of an album or an artist that you have potentially pigeonholed in the past.
I hope you enjoyed reading this little rant of mine. I should have my next entry coming soon! I’m excited to fondly remember Succession, gush over the recent season of The Bear, and touch on many more shows that made my 2023 exceptionally pleasing.
until next time,
momo <3