The Cult of Carter (Devotion to Jay-Z & Beyonce)
Jay Z and Beyonce welcomed their daughter Blue Ivy to the world on Saturday January 7, 2012. She was born on the seventh day of the year at 7 lbs. 1/7, which is the 7th day of the year, at 7 lbs. So, she’s already hit lucky 7 three times, therefore her life will be greater than any of your lives or mine, or anyone’s in the history of existence. She’s the chosen one, the long-awaited return of Jesus, and will restore Atlantis to its former glory.
There have been paintings (see above link) made of her with the King & Queen of Hip Hop even though her pictures haven’t been released publicly. There has been a song made about her along with an open letter*, both by her visibly proud father. Beyonce hasn’t done anything as far as a song for Blue, yet, but it will probably be on the deluxe(r) release of “4”.
She is great, as are Jay Z and Beyonce, and you will deal with it because your own lives are nothing compared to theirs. You exist to worship, adore, dote on, and show reverence to them, even abjectly.
“Don’t be mad at us fans who are elated beyond belief at the birth of Blue Ivy! (Not mad, though.) Why can’t we be happy? (No one’s saying you can’t be.) We have a holiday weekend now! (Um…what?) Just because nobody gave a damn about your back alley birth… (Wait, what? Lots of people anticipated my birth as I was born of a woman who was told she was barren. That’s doing too much there.)”
N-word, please.
While I am a fan of both artists, I am not so far-gone as to talk about them constantly all day. I am a hardcore Mariah stan (since I first heard her in 1990) and felt she could do no wrong even as she did a stint in a mental health hospital. I was giddy with glee for the birth of Moroccan and Monroe. I couldn’t wait for dembabies.com to launch. I was excited to see the babies. I was glad when Barbara Walters interviewed them. However, I kept it in perspective.
I didn’t go around picking on people who don’t like Mariah as much as I do. I never have and I hope I never will. I was asked why I hate Beyonce so much and asked what she had ever done to me.
I like Beyonce (now). There was a time (after Destiny’s Child broke up and it was All Beyonce Everything and F the slave assistants who helped propel her to success, Kelly and Michelle – that’s how they came off, though) when I didn’t like her, but upon later review I probably had it out more for Matthew Knowles and his skillful manipulation of Beyonce’s career through using other girls to give his daughter the spotlight. (Sidebar: I saw Destiny’s Child perform in a Gospel play in Baltimore before they hit it really big and Beyonce was out in front and the other girls were backup to her while she was all over the stage. I wondered, even then, if they were ever necessary if they’re a GROUP and only singing BACKUP. It turns out that they never were necessary.)
I didn’t like Beyonce during the Dreamgirls era only because I felt she was being shoved down our throats. Even my own dear pays-attention-to-nothing-about-pop-culture mother exclaimed “I’m sick of seeing her!” when she graced Parade magazine’s cover at that time. She was, literally, everywhere and even devoted stans I know were getting annoyed. Y’all wonder why she took, like, a year or more off and stayed far out of the spotlight? Backlash, baby.
I liked the B-Day album and own it with the deluxe tracks, parts of Dangerously in Love, parts of I Am…Sasha Fierce, and all of 4 (including the bonus tracks). Clearly, I’m a fan. What I am not, however, is a stan (okay, maybe when she puts on a live performance that gets you moving, then my stan may come out – seriously, she’s the current LaBelle, Madonna, Cher, or Diana Ross with her showmanship). I can be a fan of someone without blindly going along with everything they say, do, or feel. It’s kind of like loving President Obama but not liking everything he does.
It seems as if there is a cult mentality concerning the Carters. If you’re black and don’t like them or say anything critical of them that automatically means you hate them. It’s kind of like President Obama’s critics and some responses to those criticisms.
I can’t even say, “I’m happy for their newborn and the joy she provided to them. I hope they do well as parents, as I do to any child born to parents” without someone saying that my lack of profuse tweeting, Facebooking, and in-person constant conversation about the birth shows that I must have something against Beyonce and Jay Z. Seriously, I’ve already been accused of doing so. Really.
I just don’t understand why people are going on and on (for days on end, y’all) about the birth of a child born to strangers. “The best birth of anyone, ever! She is EVERYTHING!” While hyperbole is to be expected, please note that some people will have children or already do (including you), and I’m sure you will think the same of your firstborn child. I know they’re on a larger scale and can reach more people than normal people with a birth announcement and subsequent songs and open letters to their child, and that’s fine. I guess my thinking is that if they’re excited about their baby, that’s great. It’s their baby. But saying things like, “They’re the best parents in the world!” is a bit much. Seriously, Bey is better than your mother? Jay Z is better than your father? (Yeah, my dad was in the home and is the best dad ever to me.)
The only person who can determine if they’re the best parents in the world is Blue Ivy Carter.
This mentality is a little scary, to be honest. I don’t question your lack of enthusiasm or constant slander of Mariah. I don’t ask you why you hate her so much with a whine and water in my eyes. I don’t ask you why you drag Keri Hilson over hot coals every time her songs come on the radio. But let me say that Beyonce plagiarized half of YouTube’s independent artists and I’m suddenly so full of hate and hold something personal against her. Out of here with that!
I get why we hold onto them so much. They’re the current black music artists who have crossed over (and half of the couple appears humble about it) but still remain black. Michael Jackson crossed over and was still ours, but we gave him to the world. They’re still here, well-rooted, and only make visits outside the realm. They always return “home”. I like that they can do that.
On the other side we have those who just outright hate them like they stole the slanderer’s mama’s rent money and got her evicted. It’s just not that deep. “She had a fake baby bump and a surrogate! She can’t do anything right! Her feet look like runaway slave struggle!” Stop it. To those who are making fun of the baby, please get out of life!
Bottom line: I’m a fan, and in some cases a devoted one. However, I was happy for them and moved on. They’re not related to me, know me, or even care that I have an opinion about them one way or another. Blue Ivy is their child, not mine. I wish them well as I wish all other parents well. I do not pity anyone who doesn’t have the right amount of enthusiasm nor do I disparage anyone who can’t muster a damn for them. People irrationally like and dislike celebrities all the time.
And even if I did irrationally dislike them with the fire of 10,000 suns, you will deal with it just like I have to deal with people who don’t like a celebrity that I like. It’s life and it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Be blessed.
*For what it’s worth, lots of celebrity artists (and regular people) devote songs and letters to their newborn children. Yolanda Adams did it. Anita Baker did it for her husband and sons. Ludacris did it for his daughter on a similar topic that Jay Z just wrote for Blue. It’s not the first time it’s been done and he’s not the “best father in the world” for doing it. He’s a proud dad and is showing that he’ll do all he can to be the best dad for her, and I hope he will. But again, only Blue can determine that.
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Category: Entertainment
