Get Perspective

This is not an easy post to write, which is why I have chosen to keep the title simple. This is not a music review, I am not critiquing the album. Instead, I offer my opinion on the woman herself.
Let's be honest, she's bigger than her body of work. Her musical talents are absolutely irrelevant, she doesn't really need no.1 singles or albums to validate her brand, what's important is that she produces material that sustains the cultural and media image that is Beyonce! 

I have never been a fan of Beyonce as a solo artist, though I did very much enjoy her work as part of the group Destiny's Child. The problem with any criticism of Beyonce, constructive or not, is that it is forced into 2 simple categories, supporter or hater. If you haven't anything nice to say about her then your hating. Unlike any celebrity I have ever known (not personally, obviously), the Beyonce brand is impervious to criticism, well at least it seems that way here across the pond.

With h…

Surviving critical acclaim and international success, The Weeknd released his second commercial album, Kiss Land. Which is a pretty good follow up to his debut album, Trilogy. Though, when listening I have the sticky feeling that (some of that) fame has gone to his head.

I have loved this guy ever since hearing his first album, and have happily labelled him a musical genius (see the post Music Review: The Weeknd Trilogy). Though, while I enjoy the sounds and rhythms of Kiss Land, something about the lyrics this time, doesn't sit right with me. This may have something to do with the fact that I've seen my musical marvel in concert, and had my fantasy of this beautiful, tortured soul, replaced with a young, energetic, male product of his generation - not to emphasize on my age (I'm not that old, really), but he exhibited about the same level of maturity I'd expect at a Chris Brown or Drake concert. - Not that there is anything wrong with this, it's just that I was s…

Sex, drugs and stockbroking!
The debauchery antics and lifestyle famed by rock ‘n’ roll legends, we learn, are not limited to the music industry. Instead, those in the financial industry peddling stocks and shares, are shown to also be ‘living the dream’ of money, sex and drugs. Well, that is according to the Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street, starting Leonardo DiCaprio, which is based on a memoir by disgraced broker Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio’s character) of the same name. The film is said to be based on true accounts of the rise and fall of Belfort’s life on Wall Street, which saw him defraud his clients and get rich. If his memoirs are anything like the film, I can definitely see the appeal to have adapted it for the silver screen. Though to be honest, I don’t think much adapting was necessary since his life story seems like something only Hollywood could dream up! The film is directed in a way that seems to glamorize Belfort’s lifestyle, emphasizing its rich content of mon…

On the insistence of a close friend, I agreed to try watching Breaking Bad. I'm late, I know, but when I first heard about the TV show I didn't think it sounded like my kind of TV.  Am not a drugs and violence sort of girl, but I was told that this theme was somewhat superficial and that really the show has a lot of heart and was emotional at times.

After watching the first episode, I could somewhat see where the story was going. I could also say that I was not going to enjoy it, though I continued to watch the whole first series, and can now definitely say that the show is not my cup of tea!

Now that's not saying the show isn't good, I don't dispute that. But the thing that struck me while watching the show was how it conforms to racial stereotypes, in fact, it seems the whole appeal of the show is rooted in our understanding of racial stereotypes.

Walter the lead character, has spent his whole life being a law abiding citizen. He works 2 unsatisfying jobs…