Aretha Franklin doesn't have delusions of grandeur, per se, since she is grand, in many more ways than one. But has her ego raged slightly out of control? Her ridiculous interpretation of Beyonce's introduction of Tina Turner at the beginning of their Grammy performance, during which Beyonce (who I don't believe would ever dare insult Aretha Franklin) calls Tina Turner "the queen" leads me to believe that it has. I mean, she felt the need to release a statement about it.
I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce," Franklin said in a statement issued by her publicist. "However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy…"
In the first few seconds of Knowles' intro to Turner's performance, she name-dropped Franklin and a long list of famed female singers. Then the "Crazy in Love" chanteuse focused on Turner.
"There is one legend who has the essence of all of those things: the glamour, the soul, the passion, the strength, the talent," said Knowles, strutting in hot pants. "Ladies and gentlemen. Stand on your feet and give it up for the queen."
At a party later that night, Knowles called Turner her "ultimate icon."
Still, Franklin ended her brief criticism on a gracious note, thanking the Grammys and the voting academy and saying, "love to Beyonce anyway."
It's this sort of behavior that causes people to lose R-E-S-P-E-C-T for aging icons. [AP]
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I always thought that Aretha was the queen of soul and Tina was the queen of rock and roll. At least that's how I remember it. And Mary J. was the queen of hip hop soul. Too many queens. Off with their heads!
I LOVE Aretha (it's a love that's inheirited), but I think this is a bit much. You had to put out a PR statement? Really?
that's just plain silly.
Get over yourself.
Gorgeous Black Women
A press statement was unnecessary. It's one thing to not dress like a queen (she really needs a stylist intervention) but now she's not even acting like one.
http://anonymissblog.blogspot.com/
Why can't everybody be called a queen? Aretha's ego is way out of control. (As usual.)
She has'nt done anything musically interesting in my entire lifetime. She's been coasting on her past greatness for decades, and eating everything in sight.
Beyonce got it right the first time.
Love Aretha, but Tina is more my style anyway so if I had to give the nod to anybody as the queen it would be her. Not sure what she's the queen of though?? Queen of Rock & Soul? I can't think of an appropriate title/genre for Tina. It seems like everyone nowadays has to have a genre.
Sorry but I think Aretha has earned the title of Queen. But I don't think she should've released a statement on it, even if it bothered her. I think either the writers or Beyonce made a stupid mistake. If you know Aretha is known as The Queen….you don't mention Aretha and Tina in the same breath but choose to title Tina, The Queen. That's not knocking Tina at all. Its just the same as calling Curtis Mayfield, The Godfather of soul as if you just made that up.
If Beyonce had said something like "And here's the REAL Queen of Soul" or something like that, then Ms. Franklin would have some backers on this. But, come on. She said "queen." Period. Sometimes I refer to my nieces as queens. Should I okay that with Ms. Franklin first? On top of that, there are sooooo many Beyonce haters in the world, if anyone thought she meant to slight Aretha Franklin with that intro, it would have been the headline on all the gossip blogs. Sounds to me like Ms. Franklin is the one doing a "cheap shot" for controversey. And the catty little "love to Beyonce anway" was totally unnecessary.
I think someone was a smidgen upset that their performance and what was suppose to be their weekend got upstaged by the fabulous Tina and Beyonce. Everyone the next day was talking about how Tina looked like a million bucks and that Arethea looked like she had eaten a million hamburgers.
First of all, they're in two different genres.
Second of all, it's tacky as hell. At every awards show, they honor one legend or another. At the BET one, it was Diana Ross. Does that take away from the work Aretha's done? No. Did anyone get up and start talking nonsense when Aretha was honored time and time again? No. This is so childish. I really don't like her as a person at all. If you're going to be childish, save it for your family or your friends or your handlers. Do not go out and release a statement that's so disrespectful to both Tina Turner and Beyonce because the spotlight wasn't on you. Aretha performed on that stage minutes before Diana did. Tina is retired. Aretha is not. Tina doesn't do the awards circuit or perform pretty much ever for several years now.
I really didn't know much about her attitude until the whole Halle vs. JHud playing her in a movie came out. It was so unnecessary, especially since JHud sang at an Aretha tribute event. JHud definitely knocked it out of the park. That was questionable. This is just nasty.
Gorgeous Black Women
For someone who walked onstage looking like a yellow bus, Aretha has a lot of nerve talking all crazy like this. She looks nothing like a queen.
LMAO at the Aretha disses. Ya'll are a hot mess!