Stupid Hoe:
“I am the female weezy,” so the anti-ephemeral pop star, Nicki Minaj, tongued forth from her cheek back in December with the second single, “Stupid Hoe,” from forthcoming LP Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Who the Trinidadian-American artist is skewering is a bit of a mystery, unless you’re familiar with Lil Kim’s “How Many Licks.” Or just Lil Kim in general. While there are some other similarities to a plethora of other pop stars, as the Denver Westword points out in the official video companion that just dropped this passed Friday, let’s focus here and consider Hype Williams’ cartoonish highlighter of directorial skills that take such a one-dimensional lyric, and sentiment, and beat, and song and colors it a shade of eye candy more addictive than crack.
M-O-U-S-Tee:
We can’t tell if this is some twisted form of co-option or an ineptly legit creation by some Disney marketing clod who really thought it’d be a wholesome idea, but you can now purchase Mickey Mouse’s head in the pulsing version of Joy Division‘s piece of post-punk history, Unknown Pleasures via T-Shirt form. From the Disney webstore: “Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey’s image within the graphic of the pulse of a star. That’s appropriate given few stars have made bigger waves than Mickey!” Beyond the anti-semitic irony of the meaning of Joy Division the term and the fact that Ian Curtis hung himself, nothing is sacred, is it? Then again, they got us to write about it. And as of now, everything but XXL is sold out.
Open Up The Pit:
In case you missed it over the weekend, this wee rocker from Brisbane, Australia went viral with her “First Hardcore Song” about her love for her dog, and her fishes. A mere 59-second power-chord punch of simplicity, eight-year old Juliet may forever be spurned by some of the ridiculous “comments” on the video for the song, which has racked up 13-million views already. But spineless people of the intranets aside, dear Juliet, please keep on keeping’ on opening up the stuffed-animal trampoline pits in the name of self-expression.
Ode to Etta:
The American Idol that credibly could, Kelly Clarkson nailed an ode to the late Etta James – who just passed on Friday – over the weekend at the Radio City Music Hall sold-out stop of her Stronger tour. Paralleling her debut on Idol a decade ago, in which she covered “At Last,” Clarkson took on “I’d Rather Go Blind,” arguably James’ finest crooner outside of the “At Last” spotlight,” Clarkson channeling a little bit more grit in memoriam. Capping the song with a “hopefully she liked that” sentiment, it’s charming to connect the dots of inspiration, 40 years after song was recorded.
Lyricapsule:
The world was blessed with Spice World, the movie, on this day in 1998. All hail the girls of Spice, and heed their eternal spice advice: “Colors of the world/Spice up your life/Every boy and every girl/Spice up your life.”
