Naked Ambition

By Raynard Jackson
BlakPAC Blogger

Recently, while in Paris, President Trump complimented France’s first lady on how beautiful she looked, and feminists around the world lost their damn minds saying Trump was sexist, “humiliating for the American people,” yada, yada, yada.
I immediately had a flashback to a conversation I had a few weeks ago with one of my Grammy Award winning songwriter/producer friends about how women, especially Black women, are objectified in the entertainment community.
I am not talking about ratchet women or video vixens that are not talented or someone trying to break into the business; many of these types of women will sell their souls to be famous.
I want to focus on the women who have true talent to thrive in the entertainment industry.
The biggest culprit of this self-exploitative, sexist, ratchet behavior is none other than Beyoncé. No one can deny that she is a great entertainer and a helluva performer, but she is a walking book of contradictions.
She claims to be a feminist, but she makes her money by walking around half naked in everything she does; most of her performances are hyper-sexualized and she has one of the filthiest mouths in entertainment.
If you ever have problems sleeping, simply watch her video for the song “Yours and Mine” and you will be off to sleep in short order. I guess this was her feeble attempt to inspire women, especially Black women, with her perverted view of feminism. Can someone please tell me the value of the scene in this video when she is getting her freak on in the backseat of a Rolls Royce automobile, albeit with her famous husband, rapper Jay-Z?

Isn’t this antithetical to what feminism is supposed to represent?
Sevyn Streeter’s performances are just more examples of this continued objectification of women. She has one of the most angelic voices in music and is quite attractive. I am totally in love with her current single, “Before I Do.”

Listen to the song without the video first. It is one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard; the lyrics are simply enchanting. Sevyn’s voice is so seductive and her phrasing is thoroughly erotic, but all PG-rated.
Then I made the tragic mistake of watching the video. What a disaster.
How can you take such a beautiful song and destroy it with such a horrible video? Streeter is damn near masturbating in the video. This video has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the lyrics of the song. What a shame.
Where are my Black feminist friends who never, ever miss an opportunity to chastise President Trump for his alleged mistreatment of women?
Where is Al Sharpton’s girl, Tamika Mallory, who seems to never miss an opportunity to criticize White folks for every negative pathology, affecting the Black community?
Where is my good buddy and ultra-feminist, Avis Jones-DeWeever? When will she criticize from within?
Oh, and then there is Janaye Ingram, another one of Sharpton’s girls. She seems to always disappear when Blacks do stupid things, but somehow is everywhere when a White Republican does something she views as sexist or racist.
Oh, I forgot, these Black feminists only speak out when White folks are sexist, not when it’s our own people. When it’s our own people, these Black feminists all seem to come down with an extreme case of laryngitis.
Now juxtapose the above performances with my good friend and up and coming R&B/Hip Hop artist, BriaMarie (www.briamarie.com).
BriaMarie is a super talented, attractive Temple University graduate with a 3.8 grade point average; she promotes her talents, not her body. Oh, and did I mention, that she is also a Christian, not in the Hollywood sense, but as in “real” Christian. Meaning, she actually believes and lives what she preaches through her songs.

Wow, what a novel concept.
Her voice is sultry, sensual, and seductive; but not sexual. She doesn’t see the need to take her clothes off because she has confidence in her musical abilities.
If she was willing to take her clothes off, she would be a household name by now. But she, and her producer, Carvin Haggins, have made the decision to promote her career, while staying true to her Christian values.

They actually believe that they can play in the R&B world at the highest levels, retain their moral compass, sell CDs, and make a difference in society all at the same time.
Go to her website and check out her music and then tell me she can’t make it in the music business. When you watch her videos, there is absolutely no nudity, no cursing, or any sexual innuendos; simply great videography that compliments the lyrics to the song.

BriaMarie actually believes she can sell CDs, produce contemporary music with no cursing or nudity, yet be successful by all industry standards. She is well on the road to accomplishing this goal.
So, I challenge mainstream artists to check out BriaMarie’s approach to entertainment and truly ask themselves if they can they be successful without sex, nudity and cursing.