“She Won! She Won! I Want to Fuck!”
But I’m still with Ari Lennox. Not romantically, don’t get my hopes up. If Ari and I were together I’d spend this time consoling my baby and not up at 2:47am writing this opinion piece. I think Ari Lennox has every right to be upset that she lost Album/Mixtape if the Year to a self proclaimed “bop star” at the Soul Train Awards. Bop Star = black pop star or at least I’m assuming that’s what the double entendre means. Also take into account that yes this is the Soul Train Awards but I don’t think that category in particular has to go to an E&B/Soul artist. Key words “I don’t think” so if I’m wrong forget that previous statement and move on with the rest of this reading. Point is these award shows stink and history has shown that they care more about an artist’s popularity than they do about the artist who stick to the craft. Yes Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” has some soulful elements to it so I understand why it was nominated for one of the best R&B Soul albums at the 2019 Soul Train Awards. I also understand why she won album of the year and it has nothing to do with the music.
Lizzo won simply because all these award shows are a popularity contest. It makes sense for some award shows to be that way. Take the Billboard Awards for example. There’s numerical stats behind each category and win because that is how the Billboard operate. Shows like the BET and Soul Train Awards should not operate on the same system as the Billboard Awards since there is a panel full of people deciding who gets nominated and who wins and not numbers making that decision. But when you have a group of people who just want to reward the popular artist because they are the bigger name with the bigger fan base who can possibly attract more viewers you get artist like Ari Lennox feeling disrespected and discouraged. I can’t speak for the young lady, but reading her tweets it sounds like that’s how she feels and once again, she’s right.
Ari Lennox
Is right when she brings up her not being “cool” enough for these award shows. She also expressed disappointment over the reception (based on numbers) of her “Shae Butter Baby” project, but honestly, that’s the fake fans fault who did not buy the album but are on social media frontin’ and lying as they do talking bout how much they enjoyed the album. Talking bout how it should’ve beat Lizzo’s album when in actuality I doubt they listened to both. Ari shouldn’t quit and join the Army. I know someone is going to say “she didn’t mean that. She was being dramatic.” You don’t know that for sure. Maybe Ari has back burner ambitions of being one of the few, the proud, the Marines. It’s a backup plan many people have chose and even though they probably won’t admit it their stories tend to give it away. Not judging, just an observation based on people I know or have interacted with. Whatever Ari decides to do with her career/life I want her to be happy. I don’t want her to stop making music but I want her to be happy.
“I HATE YOU FAT LIZZO! -Azealia Banks”
I don’t hate Lizzo. I think she’s cutie pie and a sweetie pie. I’d also like to eat sweet potato pie off her cute ass but these are freak hour thoughts. It is now 3:30am. Forgive my freakiness or don’t. Anyways I’m a fan of Lizzo the person but not necessarily her music. I can say the same about Ari Lennox, but I have at least one Ari Lennox song on my MP3 compared to the zero Lizzo tracks. What I’m not going to do is attack Lizzo for the win. I blame these black award shows such the BET Awards and Soul Train Awards for desperately wanting that “crossover appeal” because to those lost negros white acceptance is what it means to be a successful black business. It doesn’t surprise me when these white centered award shows chose the music artist that are more appealing to them, but these black shows have a history of giving white artist wins simply because of the white artist’s white fanbase. I.e. Justin Bieber winning BET Awards over more deserving black artist who’s only “sin” was not being liked by white people or not having as much white fans as a white man. I know Lizzo isn’t white but she has more “crossover appeal” than the other people nominated for Album/Mixtape of the Year, arguably the biggest award at any music award show. I’m willing to bet a dollar that the boujee blacks at the Soul Train Awards knew that Lizzo had more white fans than anybody else on that list and gave her the award because she accomplished “greatness” by getting white people to love her. Now they’re not going to admit to it and I’m not going to split hairs and lose anymore sleep trying to find the truth. I’m only betting a dollar because none of this is worth any of my money and I’m a broke writer. I might end up joining Ari Lennox on the frontline. We do that for a couple of years, retire, get married, start a family and be the token black couple on them USAA commercials to reel in the black broke hopeless romantics to join the Army to find love and make money. It’s now 3:52am. I should be going back to sleep now. I should be dreaming about eating pie off Lizzo or eating pie with Lizzo. I should be dreaming about marrying Ari Lennox… or eating pie with Ari Lennox… or eating pie off Ari Lennox. Good night/morning!
