There's this interesting phenomenon I've been observing in pop music for the past decade or so that I now realize is a vulgar strategy to boost record sales.
The emancipation of gay men from heterosexual subjugation (allow me this poetic license) has made them a formidable economic force and an important capitalist demographic. The pink dollar is a prize catch the world over and it is courted with increasing frequency and ferocity. From a subliminal, nuanced heads-up in advertising campaigns, to a rainbow beacon beaming above a mauve carpet with scantily clad men in angel wings: the corporate world wants queens to spend lavishly (the only way they know how!).
With that said, and in full awareness of the honorary glitterati status of some female artistes, namely the older divas of R&B (like Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, and Tina Turner) and their contemporary counterparts (like Whitney Houston, Deborah Cox, Madonna and Janet Jackson) I am intrigued to see other artistes going fruity for favour.
Kelis spoke fluent fag long before it was in vogue (pun intended) and she was subsequently swagger-jacked by Queen Creole Bey-Yaki, and RiRi. La Creola is now the official siren of the urban glow stick twirlers whereas the mainstream twinks are governed by Queen GaGa from Plavalaguna.
Think I'm making this up?
Look at Bey's pose (above) from her performance at the 2009 American Music Awards....watch this video of the incomparable Leyomi Mizrahi.
Now I know this is the doing of Bey's choreographer Jonte Moaning who has been liberally throwing the glitter Bey's way since her "BDay" album so I guess I shouldn't be that mad as it wasn't exactly a covert operation by Bey's people to go into the inner sanctum of punkdom to steal some moves and make it blow up like the macarena. Jonte knew this style would be fresh and appeal to her core audience: Gay black men. Her "Single Ladies" video is basically a homage to Benny Ninja. Sasha Fierce would be her drag name if she were a boy. Should I go on?
Lady GaGa has been hawking her wares (very literally to include what she wears) to the gays since she sold her soul to mammon circa 2008 and began her campy ascent into pop music history. She has embraced (and fanned the flames of) the rumours about her sexuality and gender since she first stepped out and this brilliant balls out (pun intended) strategy has worked to her advantage.
Kelly Rowland stepped out (suicide dip well rehearsed) after relocating to the UK and teaming up with David Guetta for hit after hit of euro-queen-mating-calls and now she's making a whole album of it! I can't hate. If this is how she's going to step out of the shadow cast off from La Creola's wigs (hips, and ego) then more power to her. But this is where my cynicism starts to grow. In the era of blacksploitation films Pam Grier made a career out of coonery and Kelly Rowland seemingly intends to make a career out of pandering to the club queens from Party Monster.
I mean, her latest video is basically an instruction manual on how to rid yourself of that pesky tranny that's throwing shade!
And this brings me to what I feel is the most brazen attempt by an artiste to revive an already limping career by dancing before the god of 6 packs and enemas. Mya will be releasing a dance album! Yes, chil'ren. Ms. Harrison wants you to twirl to her musack!
Here she is performing at club Haze:
Someone needs to tell this chick that just because the kids gave her 2 glow sticks up for her performances in Chicago and Dancing with the Stars does not mean that she needs to do an album in their honour!
I've had enough...I'm all gayed out.
If Ashanti covers Harmonica Sunbeam's "I'm Here to Work" I'm signing out of life!
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