Are You A Beyoncé Stan?

First off, let's define the term "stan" for the uninitiated. A stan, derived from the Eminem song of the same name, is slang for an obsessed fan. I first heard it a few years back in the comments section of a Beyoncé post on
Crunk+Disorderly, which is well-known in the black blogosphere for its hilarious and often devastating critique on the cult of celebrity. No one is spared. She is also the one celebrity who incites the most heated debate, bar none. From Crunk to Concrete Loop, to just about every black entertainment blog, small and large, a Beyonce item is almost guaranteed to ignite a frenzy of comments, unlike no other subject or performer, politician or otherwise. The most interesting thing is that some of her supporters seem to have a love for her that borders on a type of psychosis. The same can be said about Michael Jackson fans, so Bey is in very good company indeed. The item could just be a simple photo of her out at an event or some promotional photo op, and the sparks will fly. The comments generally start out with a simple, "Bey looks hot", or "Make that paper, girl!", until one commenter weighs in with, "I'm so tired of seeing her face. OVEREXPOSED!" to which yet another will follow with, "You done did it now, look out for the stans in 3, 2, 1..........", at which point it'll be off to the races.

What strikes me as odd though, is that her detractors almost always point out that they find her to be a transparent, not very bright robot who seems to speak from a script in the matter of an adult stuck in a state of arrested development, doesn't appear to have any discernible or valid opinions of her own without the aid of her parents, as witnessed here, while acknowledging her obvious talents and gifts. Hell, some are even mad because during a recent appearance on Oprah, when asked if she'd reached out to Jennifer Hudson since her recent family tragedy, she replied, "No, but I'm Praying for her". Is that reason to "hate" on her? Any positive acknowledgements are not nearly enough for her fans who vehemently declare them as haters, mostly in CAPS, and will not accept any form or criticism, no matter how balanced or nuanced it may be. At all. They can't offer any further analysis other than to list her accomplishments and say that she's rich and you're not, so there! The so-called stans' favorite line of defense is basically, if you don't like her, you're "just jealous", like pouty children who are ready to peel the skin off your face at the mere mention of your doubt of Bey's formidable power. And for the record, I'm one of those who feels that while Beyonce is indeed very talented, I don't consider myself an avid fan. I'd love to see her relax, and sing a song with some depth and real emotion as opposed to all the unnecessary vocal acrobatics, an issue I used to have with Mariah Carey before she resorted to merely whisper-singing over trite Hip Pop beats. To date, I don't think she's reached the vocal maturity of singers like Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson or Keyshia Cole, who manage to bring raw feelings to the surface of a song and make me feel the pain of their struggles and the joy of their momentary happiness, which is always in danger of slipping away by the time the next track queues up. I know that in time, she will hone her skills and perhaps earn the respect of those who share my opinion. However, I get the feeling that she seems determined to convince us that she can sing, she can dance, she's so hot, while simultaneously asking us to believe that she's really a good girl who would rather kick back with a bucket of Popeye's hot wings, and that it's her alter-ego, Sasha, who takes over when she hits the stage and does all the dirty work. That, in itself is fine; this is entertainment after all, and although I think that artists like David Bowie and even Mariah Carey to some extent have utilized their alter-egos to greater effect, I think it would be okay if it didn't seem so - calculated. New York magazine has also touched on the whole Beyasha phenomenom. Uh-oh. Haters. Much like the comparisons of her to Diana Ross, her detractors liken her fast ascent and the dropping of group members to Ms. Ross's alleged unapologetic backstage machinations to become the breakout star of The Supremes.
And what about her star turn in Dreamgirls? Coincidence? The Machiavellian-like tactics of her father, Mathew Knowles, whose unrelenting determination to ensure her success could also be compared to Ross' connection to Motown head Berry Gordy, though of course, the personal relationship of star and mentor greatly differ. It could also be said that Ross is nothing if not original, which Bey non-supporters seem to all agree, but her fans believe is okay - as long as she does it better than her predecessors and that she is not aware of any shyster-like doings behind the scenes or of any copycatting on her part. Case in point, one complaint that's been made against her is that her Sasha character seemed to surface soon after Mariah affected one. And that leads me to the biggest charges that have been made against her; first, the charge that she sometimes takes credit for the work of other singers and songwriters by making slight alterations to lyrics and harmonies, and then taking a writers credit. There was some controversy over statements made she allegedly made about writing "Irreplaceable", which was, in fact, written by Ne Yo & "If I Were A Boy", which was after she replaced a few key lyrics, claimed a writer's credit. The song was originally recorded and co-written by singer BC Jean & Toby Gad, and became the basis of a lawsuit.










There have also been unsubstantiated claims that Mathew Knowles used strong-arm tactics to secure the rights for the song from Ms Jean, unlike the previous case involving British singer Des'ree, who had a mid-nineties hit with "You Gotta Be". She sued Beyonce for altering the lyrics to her song, Kissing You and then tried to include it as a song entitled "(Still In Love) Kissing You" on the "B'Day" cd. She won. As for Ne Yo, he seems to have taken it all in stride and Bey has made statements to the fact that he was indeed the writer. These claims and rumors have dogged Beyonce since her days with Destiny's Child. She allegedly made changes in harmonies and added a word here and there in order to secure a song credits, but isn't this also an unspoken practice in the music biz? The question is to what extent does one stretch their professional ethics, if that should apply to these cases?

And check out this You Tube clips which purports that she "borrows" from other male & female acts, in some cases right down to their wardrobe:


The comments to this clip provide the perfect testimony to the vociferousness of both sides. Here's more:


First two clips are the work of SweetXxyCh3Ck on You Tube


Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I know that there is a such thing as paying homage to the works of others, but for her sake, if this is at all intentional, I wish she would wait until the proper time has passed before she does this. It's okay to recreate a piece of work that you admire but it should be noted that one should probably wait for several years before doing so. Preferably a generation or so, anyway.

Lastly, I took the opportunity of taking a survey of the opinions of various relatives during a Thanksgiving gathering. One 20-ish younger cousin, which is the age group indicative of her admirers, to whom I spoke with via phone and who upon being told that I was planning to write this piece, became somewhat "hot" and defended her devotion to Beyoncé in no uncertain terms. "Jealousy" and "hater" were the terms I believed she used to describe her feelings toward those who don't care much about her idol. Hmmm, I've heard that one before....does that make her a stan? I hope not, cuz! Others supported her as well, citing her beauty and dance skills. Most were not aware of the controversies, alleged or otherwise, that surround her. Older relatives didn't seem to care about her one way or the other, but those who had an opinion stated that she seemed dense and artificial. And my cousin Nicole, who is much younger by the way, agreed with the latter.

All of that said, we need artists like Beyoncé. Like her or not, she inspires and is a role model to countless young people, conveys a strong sense of business acumen, and can and will continue without a doubt to make a huge impact in the lives of her fans. She's work extremely hard for what she's achieved. Whether or not her work will stand the test of time remains to be seen, though. I will, however, enjoy watching her grow and hope to get a glimpse beyond the curtain, no matter how brief. Perhaps it doesn't matter who likes or dislikes her for whatever reason, she's a star. And a damned big one.

But it's all good. This is just my opinion, stans. No hate.