Then just in time for the summer's heat - when midriffs and booty shorts rule - four female R&B wonders infiltrated the scene as if they were the black Charlie's Angels. Yet because they make a lot of catchy, happy tunes, many critics are ready to steal their shine. But for the most part, they've been able to combat naysayers who believe pretty girls in strappy heels are unable to make chart toppers that pop and therefore neutralize the scene.
Check the fabulous recrudescence. The hair is finger-running straight, the legs have been oiled just right and the cleavage is in full view. The hips have been discovered and are flexuously swinging every which way. The shackles of the cutesy girl image have been broken along with the binding restraints of superfluous clothing. The first-name songbirds are geared up for this summer's real blockbuster, Full Frontal: The Road to R&B Diva starring the buoyant Beyoncé and the sweetly seductive Ashanti with appearances from the undervalued Monica and the caramel-dipped Mya.
A glimpse at music videos from the fabulous four proves that this summer will be filled with more eye candy than a P.Diddy video, and lots of wet bodies, as water seems to be the new favorite clothing accessory. History dictates, the sexier the star, the better chance at giant music sales. The theory being if you don't like what you see, chances are you won't like what you hear. Regardless, it can be odd to see young ladies shift from riskless to risqué in front of the camera. The lighter, pop counterparts, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, abandoned their former girl-scout selves only to catch heat triggered by an industry dependent on blatant sexuality.
But the fab four's transition has been smoother, panning out like an extended music video. It isn't as shocking when one minute Monica is singing sweetly on rooftops as a teenager and the next, lounging in Frederick's-like lingerie, exposing her tattoo in the video for her single, "So Gone." And audiences aren't caught off guard, like they were when Bow Wow's vocal octaves suddenly dropped, when Mya arrogantly testifies in her new single off of her latest offering, Moodring, that her body, with an added emphasis on her ass, is like "whoa".
Finding the balance between expressing natural sexuality and going over the top can be difficult, especially on the eve of womanhood. The Catch 22 presented by finicky audiences, a sexual hip hop culture, and ravenous music executives requires that the new school R&B temptation must use or abuse her sexuality much more than ever before. So what's a girl-woman to do?
21-year-old Beyonce Knowles and 22-year-old Ashanti Douglas seem to excel in their own methodical ways of using what they got to get what they want. With the onset of their new releases, they've shifted toward a more unfettered femininity and sex appeal. They are paradigm R&B heirs, representative of hip hop's profound impact and exhibiting direct lineage to Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans. Beyoncé and Ashanti epitomize the wifey type men boast of: beautiful, sweet, the kind of lady you can take home to Momma, with hints of a bedroom bad girl that is only remotely suggested in their music. And the two represent for the ladies, with rhythmic nods of feminine independence and vulnerability-the joys and pains of being a woman.
More importantly, Beyoncé and Ashanti are marketing powerhouses working ferociously to diversify their offerings and build their names as individual brands. Between the movies, TV specials, books, and countless awards and honors, their name recognition proves that they are transcending any pithy dreams they once had as little girls. But don't expect outright chaos because Mathew Knowles (Beyoncé's father) and the two Tinas, Tina Douglas (Ashanti's mother) and Tina Knowles (Beyoncé's mother) aren't too far behind, orchestrating what strings will and will not be pulled. So far, so good.
An unaccompanied Beyoncé emerges with a fiery sound to let the world know she's been drinking her milk and exercising between albums. Her album cover displays the artist adorned in a revealing jewel cloak that leaves little for the imagination. Dangerously in Love, screams, "Look at how wonderfully I've grown!. " The album has already sold more than 300,000 copies since its June 24th release, much of that fueled by her workout video, "Crazy in Love," in which she moves like she has never moved before. The video functions as a rite of passage for her, an official strut in high-heeled, red pumps across the threshold of womanhood in distinct diva style, topped off with an inaugural summertime booty-shaking dance. And the rumors circling that she is on Jay-Z's arm don't hurt her. Beyoncé's debut is adventurous, with that perfectly calculated mix of dance hits and balladic cuts. That she holds executive producer credit on this project makes it all seem that much more authentic. Even if the "I need you boy," and the unexpected, "I need your body" themes aren't all that moving, their production makes them good enough to move to.
Coincidentally, one week later, the proclaimed princess of hip hop and R&B dropped her eagerly anticipated sophomore effort. Her debut, Ashanti, sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, which isn't too shabby for the shy girl next door whose ingenuous Gladys Knight look and accompanying gangsta pips won over chicks and thugs alike. Perhaps it was her lyrical and quintessential simplicity that forced her songs to permeate minds and invade charts. So the second time around, Chapter II sticks to the old adage: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Her first single "Rock Wit U, " features multiple uses of her favorite word, "baby" (she really should get a thesaurus and find a replacement) and it's so signature you'd think there was an easy-bake recipe for her hits. Even so, it is as catchy as a cold during flu season, mimicking the ever so unforgettable, "Foolish." The video complements a matured Ashanti, who shines radiantly without appearances from her distracting, incest-prone big brothers, Irv Gotti and Ja Rule. Unfortunately, the album isn't equally artistically mature. It rarely deviates from the mélange of reminiscent, yet tired tracks that pervaded her first effort, Ashanti. Her voice is distinctively sharper, leaving room for vocal experimentation without any boisterous Ja appearances so that her sound isn't overshadowed and pushed into the background. But many of the songs run into one another, and in the end, the pileup doesn't seem worth the ride. But who has the audacity to tell the winner of the Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year Award that she could benefit from mixing it up? Obviously not the buying public, that has been projected to gobble this dose of Ashanti the same way they did the first.
Even amongst success and fame, focus should remain on the real nemesis facing the R&B sensations. What separates the Whitney Houstons and Chaka Khans is timeliness; true divas are infinitely classic, no matter their wardrobe. So while Beyoncé, Ashanti, Monica, and Mya oil up and adjust cleavage for their next concert, they should remember that time is not on their side. They need to leave some substance for sequels.
Check out Ashanti's "Rain On Me" : Hi-band Hi-band Lo-band
Check out Monica's "So Gone" video: Hi-band Lo-band Hi-band Lo-band Hi-band Lo-band
Check out Monica's "So Gone" remix featuring Busta Rhymes: Hi-band Lo-band Hi-band Lo-band
home
