Article: "Should A Kindergartner Really Be Listening To Nicki Minaj?"

[LoveMyHats2]

In the eyes of pop music lovers she is, and I have no doubt that she'll be remembered for many, many years. I have to admit she's creative, though I wonder when the time will come when she won't be able to top herself.

As far as talent, if you haven't listened to her duet "The Lady is a Tramp" with Tony Bennett, you'd be surprised how lovely her voice really is (I sure was!) Tony has a good ear - he wouldn't sing with someone who had no talent.

I happen to really appreciate Tony Bennett, he is the last of the great male singers of that age. Age also plays a part in one thought....he is not as sharp in some of what he "thinks" and says lately. So yes, he knows a good voice, but I think he could have found a dozen or so female singers to make a record with. Who really knows why he picked the "GaGa"..? Paycheck?

 

[sheeplady]

Let's say she was singing the radio clean version. How can they clean that song up??? I mean, what are they left with, the chorus?

I find the idea that artists record two versions of songs to be slightly... weird. Is it purely to get people to buy the "dirty" version because they want to see how dirty it is? I can see some profanity requiring a clean version, but when you have major themes that aren't radio friendly (and aren't hidden through creative lyrics) how do you even begin to work on a clean version?

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Meanwhile, my local news just posted this:

WMTW-TV
A follow-up after our post earlier this week. The spotlight loves this little girl! Click "Like" if you think it was great for Ellen to give her this opportunity, and click "Share" to send to your friends and family!
http://www.wmtw.com/entertainment/29465254/detail.html?source=htvs
Nicki Minaj Surprises Sophia Grace On Ellen
www.wmtw.com
Nicki Minaj surprises two little girls who have become YouTube sensations with their performance of the star's hit song Super Bass.

Isn't it great!!!

Nothing that "Ellen" would do is much a shocker now! Ellen may have good intentions in helping others, but she herself is somewhat of a hypocrite.

Example, one of many: She has been a spokesperson for PITA. The belief is not to use animals for "human" needs, mink for coats, cows for leather, etc. She does wear leather shoes, belts, purses....the list can go on...even her cars have leather seats. Mooo....I pay little respect to Ellen, and really the money for the most part that she tosses away, where does it really come from when it comes to "helping" others? I do not think it comes from her own bank...nope.

My original thoughts and stated, the Parents are brain dead regarding this young child.

 

[Feraud]

Two versions can mean double revenue and access to markets that may have moral restrictions.
Look at the many versions of films marketed in dvd sales. Special Edition, Deluxe Edition, Director's Cut, Ultimate Edition, Un-Edited version, etc. and so on.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Short note: Good song title for the Gaga to sing, "lady is a tramp".....over and out.

 

[scottyrocks]

Off topic: I strongly dislike Lady Gaga. I think she lacks talent. I am more of a low budget melody kind of gal. If you take away the gimmicks, smoke and mirrors, technical help, etc I don't think there is much there whereas true music and lovely voices don't need all the flash and glitter. She's entertaining for some, a kind of vaudeville, that I can see. But legend as far as talent, I have to disagree.

I thought Gaga was complete fruitcake, too, until I saw her on a morning TV show, I believe. They introduced her, she came out, sat down at a piano, and sang an soul-stirringly beautiful, alto-voiced torch song. My opinion of her changed right then and there only because I discovered that she has actual musical and vocal talent. As for her theatrics, though, feh.

 

[C-dot]

Perhaps she has true, no-need-for-tricks talent but she's not talented at conveying it, in my opinion. I'll leave it at that.
...I admit she has a lovely voice here! Too bad she hides it so well otherwise!

My sentiments exactly! It's awful that a truly talented person has to hide behind the theatrics they every other performer does.

 

[RockyHorror]

I honestly think a kid listening to Nicki Minaj is not a problem. I listened to all kinds of things when I was young that I didn't understand. S Club 7 anyone? It wasn't til I was 16 I even noticed the lyric "Hoochie mama show your nanas", and I wouldn't say that had any negative effect on me.

 

[sheeplady]

I thought Gaga was complete fruitcake, too, until I saw her on a morning TV show, I believe. They introduced her, she came out, sat down at a piano, and sang an soul-stirringly beautiful, alto-voiced torch song. My opinion of her changed right then and there only because I discovered that she has actual musical and vocal talent. As for her theatrics, though, feh.

I agree. I saw her once on SNL, and she did an improv-like piece and I thought she had a stunning voice and was quite talented at the piano.

I'm not even sure that her theatrics are her own or her handlers. With today's musicians there is no way to tell. It's kind of sad that she is hidden behind her theatrics or that she and/or her handlers think that is the only way to sell her music. If that is really her, then fine, she is expressing herself. If it's not her, it's quite sad that people (her or her handlers) have so little confidence in her musical ability.

 

[LolitaHaze]

Hey, I saw the Monkees in concert in NY in the 80's when they reunited for a tour. Girls were throwing their undergarments at those innocent, middle-aged Monkee-men. :eeek:

I loved rap as a kid/young teen, but we had Run-DMC. Rap was much MUCH cleaner back then!!!

They covered Aerosmith's Walk this way... That song is DIRTY!

 

[LolitaHaze]

This leads me to my next thought: There really is a huge difference between music of the past that was considered subversive and the music of today, and that is the subject matter. Prior to the Baby Boomer generation, the older generation were more inclined to be stuck in their ways, so anything that was different would have been "shocking," but it didn't contain lyrics about crime, drugs, and misogyny. If it did, I'm certain it wouldn't have ever been recorded.

Google Shave 'em Dry by Lucille Bogan. Not only does it talk dirty explicitly, but it also uses the F word and the Sh word. Plus it is sung by a woman! It's reported to be about her own sexual escapades. WARNING!! NOT FOR THE EASILY OFFENDED Not only that but there are MANY songs about drugs from the 20's - 40's. Mostly about cocaine and Marijuana. Oh and Skip James sings about cutting a woman in half.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

They covered Aerosmith's Walk this way... That song is DIRTY!

I didn't say they were clean- just much cleaner.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I know that she wasn't mainstream, but Lucille Bogan sings about many topics like prostitution, drugs, getting "sloppy drunk", race, weight, sex, and crime. Those songs were recorded back then, just not brought to the mainstream like they would be today.

Also, I liked Blondie in kindergarten. Had NO CLUE what her songs were about. Then when I got a little older it was Madonna with "Like A Virgin." Still NO CLUE what that song was about and I didn't even question it. Then Samantha Fox "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)". My sister and I used to "dance sexy" all the time when we were little. I can see how it would be an issue with it being on youtube (I agree that is creepy!), but in general -- that's what a lot of little girls do. My sister is a doctor and I'm working on my Masters degree. We turned out alright, I think.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Back on topic, the issue is a little girl singing dirty/misogynistic lyrics, having it broadcast to the world by her parents and the general public and media celebrating it as wonderful.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Google Shave 'em Dry by Lucille Bogan. Not only does it talk dirty explicitly, but it also uses the F word and the Sh word. Plus it is sung by a woman! It's reported to be about her own sexual escapades. WARNING!! NOT FOR THE EASILY OFFENDED Not only that but there are MANY songs about drugs from the 20's - 40's. Mostly about cocaine and Marijuana. Oh and Skip James sings about cutting a woman in half.

What are your thoughts about the little girl singing the song in question?

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I know that she wasn't mainstream, but Lucille Bogan sings about many topics like prostitution, drugs, getting "sloppy drunk", race, weight, sex, and crime. Those songs were recorded back then, just not brought to the mainstream like they would be today.

Also, I liked Blondie in kindergarten. Had NO CLUE what her songs were about. Then when I got a little older it was Madonna with "Like A Virgin." Still NO CLUE what that song was about and I didn't even question it. Then Samantha Fox "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)". My sister and I used to "dance sexy" all the time when we were little. I can see how it would be an issue with it being on youtube (I agree that is creepy!), but in general -- that's what a lot of little girls do. My sister is a doctor and I'm working on my Masters degree. We turned out alright, I think.

I didn't realize that "Rock-a-bye baby" was about near death until I was older.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A lot of those "dirty records" were alternate takes, recorded for the amusement of the performers, and were never actually intended to be released -- the version of "Shave 'em Dry" that was actually released in 1935 was heavily expurgated. The no-hold-barred version wasn't actually released until the mid-'70s, and has become something of a cult record since, to the point where it's very hard to find the version that was actually issued on 78rpm.

On the other hand, the "I get no kick from cocaine" version of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" was recorded by several mainstream performers, most notably Ethel Merman and Rudy Vallee. It wasn't until NBC refused to allow the original lyric to be performed on the air that Porter wrote an alternate lyric about "perfume from Spain," and that became the standard recorded version from then on.

Baby Rose Marie, however, did not record the original lyric.

 

[Pompidou]

I think the root of my not seeing a problem with any of this is that, for whatever reason, I've grown to be (as far as I can tell so far) completely unoffendable. "Yeah, sure, just do whatever you want" is my response to almost everything that isn't a genuine crime, and even some crimes I shrug off on the basis that I think we have too many. I can't think of a single song, movie or video game that I think goes too far - not even one. Whether that's good or bad depends on who you ask. Seems evenly split.

 

[LolitaHaze]

What are your thoughts about the little girl singing the song in question?

I just watched the vid to get a better idea of what it was and I seriously didn't think it was horrible. I think the little girl likes that song (not just the song but style of music) and was having fun with it. I don't think there was any exploitation involved with posting it online. Heck, I couldn't even understand what the kid was saying (my guess is she doesn't either). I took that as a video of fun and not seriousness. I was rocking out to Boy George and Madonna at her age... All in fun.

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I didn't realize that "Rock-a-bye baby" was about near death until I was older.

lol
Never knew "Ring Around The Rosie" was about the Plague until I was in high school!!

As for the video, I can't understand a word the little girl is singing. Her "moves" weren't any worse than the "moves" my sister and I did to Madonna and Sam Fox records. The visual didn't offend me. I can see how it would offend some because it's out in the open (my sister and I have very similar home movies, but they stay in a cabinet at my dad's lol) Since I can't understand what she was saying I can't comment. I'm not a Nicki Minaj fan so I'll pass on studying her lyrics. If I don't like it I just ignore it.

RE: Shave Em Dry -- I LOVE the part in the middle where she bursts out laughing and someone else is laughing in the background. What Lizzie said about it being for her own amusement makes perfect sense during that moment.