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Madonna Just Responded to the Backlash Over Her Aretha Franklin Speech at the VMAs


Madonna caught a lot of heat last night (August 20) at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards after she gave a speech to honor Aretha Frankin—who passed away last week—that was all about herself. The tribute started off strong—”Aretha Louise Franklin changed the course of my life,” she said—but soon descended into a stream-of-consciousness monologue about the early stages of Madonna’s career. The tie she made to Franklin was loose: Madonna explained that during one of her early auditions, she asked to sing “Respect” on the fly because she had nothing else prepared. In fact, if Franklin’s face wasn’t projected onto the screen behind Madonna, this wouldn’t have felt like a tribute at all.

Which is why Franklin’s fans are so upset. Hundreds of people took to Twitter to criticize Madonna’s speech, accusing her of erasure, cultural appropriation, and self-indulgence. Madonna didn’t respond to the backlash last night, but she just took to Instagram this afternoon (August 21) to address it.

“Just to clarify: I was asked to present Video of the Year by MTV,” Madonna captioned a photo of herself and Camila Cabello, who ultimately took home that award. “And then they asked me to share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin! I shared a part of my journey and thanked Aretha for inspiring me along the way. I did not intend to do a tribute to her! That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment. Unfortunately most people have short attention spans, and are so quick to judge. I love Aretha!”

Check out Madonna’s Instagram post for yourself, below:

That being said, Franklin fans on Twitter still aren’t letting Madonna off the hook. The responses criticizing her speech are still coming in—and they’re pointed:

MTV hasn’t responded to the backlash yet, but stay tuned.

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We Need to Talk About Madonna's 'Tribute' to Aretha Franklin at the 2018 VMAs


Days before the MTV Video Music Awards aired, the show’s executive producer Jesse Ignatovic told Variety that the 2018 VMAs’ “level of production is probably greater than we’ve ever done.” Even with the scrambling to produce a new segment honoring Aretha Franklin, who died Thursday of pancreatic cancer, there was “big focus” to make sure “whatever we do is true to her art.”

“We don’t want to do anything too kooky,” Ignatovic said.

But then, on Monday night, Madonna drifted out on stage in a black kaftan complete with a headdress, a layering of necklaces, colorful beaded cuffs, and swinging four blonde braids. A photo of the late Queen of Soul was plastered behind her, but something was off. This was the tribute we were waiting for? Madonna, dripping in gentrified cultural appropriation, was going to honor the genius behind a whole genre of music, a woman who mastered the art of speaking to and for black women in robust notes of song?

Apparently so. Madonna launched into a story that seemed to center Franklin’s impact on music at first. “Aretha Louise Franklin changed the course of my life,” she said. “I left Detroit when I was 18. Thirty-five dollars in my pocket. My dream was to make it as a professional dancer. After years of struggling and being broke, I decided to go to auditions for musical theater.”

However, the speech quickly devolved into a tribute to herself. “I had no training or dreams of ever becoming a singer but I went for it,” she said, setting up a story about an audition where she sang one of Franklin’s songs. “I got cut and rejected from every audition—not tall enough, not blend-in enough, not 12-octave range enough, not pretty enough. Not enough. And then one day a French disco sensation was looking for backup singers and dancers for his world tour. I thought, ‘Why not? The worst that can happen is I can go back to getting robbed, held at gunpoint and being mistaken for a prostitute in my third floor walkup that was also a crackhouse.’ That’s right, I’m a Rebel Heart.”

This was the tone for most of the speech, which had Twitter users raising their eyebrows:

Let’s be clear about why this is a problem: This is erasure. This is white feminism, very loosely defined as not feminism at all, but rather a disregard for how women of color fare with sexism, racism, ableism, etc. while white women protect white privilege. In Madonna’s case, this means propping up Franklin in a way that appears to honor her, while in fact checking off a box for herself. And never forget: This is a woman who once used the N-word on social media.

In this way, Madonna made the death of a national treasure like Franklin about…what, Madonna’s audition? It’s demeaning and insulting—and definitely not the tribute Franklin deserves. And I’m not alone about this:

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The Obamas Just Published a Beautiful Tribute to Aretha Franklin


Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul, passed away on Thursday (August 16) after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Several public figures have paid tribute to Franklin on social media, and now Barack and Michelle Obama are adding their voices to the chorus. If you remember, the trio enjoyed a well-publicized friendship while Obama was still in the White House. It began with Franklin putting on a show-stopping, cry-your-eyes-out performance at his first presidential inauguration.

“American has no royalty. But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring,” the Obamas wrote in a statement obtained by TMZ. “Born in Memphis and raised in Detroit, Aretha Franklin grew up performing gospel songs in her father’s congregation. For more than six decades since, every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine. Through her compositions and unmatched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel out history, all of it and in every shade — our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance. Aretha may have passed on to a better place, but the gift of her music remains to inspire us all. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace. Michelle and I send our prayers and warmest sympathies to her family and all those moved by her song.”

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Obama also released an additional tweet with some of his favorite White House photos of Franklin. “Aretha helped define the American experience,” he added. “In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade — our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace.” Michelle added: “She will forever be our Queen of Soul.”

Related Stories:

18 Powerful Tributes to Aretha Franklin’s Music

Celebrities Are Writing Touching Tributes to Aretha Franklin on Social Media





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Aretha Franklin: Most Iconic Fashion Moments


Aretha Franklin passed away on Thursday, leaving behind a legacy that includes 18 Grammy Awards, 17 top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and six decades’ worth of music. The Queen of Soul touched lives all over the world, with her talent and always-memorable performances, which were amplified by her delightfully extravagant sense of style.

In terms of both her music and her fashion, Franklin has been referred to as the ultimate diva—her on-stage outfits as dramatic as her four-octave voice. Up until her retirement from performing in 2017, feathers, sequins, and fringe were her signatures. The silhouettes evolved over the years, from form-fitting dresses in the sixties to eccentric caftans in the nineties, but her joyful, luxurious approach to dressing remained, emphasizing Franklin’s star power.

Her approach to fashion wasn’t always praised, but Franklin always had the perfect response. In the ’90s, when a New York Post writer said that Franklin was too “bosomy” for the clothing she wore, she had a confident reply: “You are hardly in a position to determine what separates stars from divas since you are neither one nor an authority on either.”

Indeed, Aretha Franklin embodied the very essence of what it means to be a “diva.” From her first number one single in 1967 up until her later appearances in 2017, her wardrobe was admirably over-the-top and commanded respect. Ahead, we remember the decorated artist with 30 of her most iconic looks.

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The Best Aretha Franklin Quotes


Fans and celebrities are currently mourning the loss of Aretha Franklin, who passed away Thursday (August 16) in Detroit, the city she calls home. The music icon’s legacy is untouchable, with 18 Grammys to her name, along with hundreds of enduring hits, including “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and the ubiquitous “Respect.” The tributes to Franklin that fans are posting on social media are touching, but even more poignant is reading some of the singer’s own words. Throughout her career, Franklin has dropped plenty of wisdom, either in concert or interviews. Below, read nine of her most inspired quotes, some of which date back to the 1960s, when Franklin officially earned her forever title, the Queen of Soul.



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Celebrities Are Writing Touching Tributes to Aretha Franklin on Social Media


On Thursday morning Aretha Franklin‘s publicist confirmed that she passed away in her Detroit home at the age of 76. “Franklin’s official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin’s oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute,” reads a statement from her family, according to the Associated Press. “In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.”

The Franklin family’s statement continued, “We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters, and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers. We have felt your love for Aretha, and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.”

Immediately after the news broke, countless celebrities took to social media to pay their respects to the singer and 18-time Grammy winner. Among these mourning fans are plenty of Franklin’s fellow musicians, from a wide variety of genres: John Legend, Barbra Streisand, Ricky Martin, and several others. Along with messages encouraging Franklin to “rest in power,” many of these musicians and other celebrities shared links to her most popular songs, as well as memories of meeting Franklin in person or seeing her perform. “I’m sitting in prayer for the wonderful golden spirit Aretha Franklin,” Diana Ross wrote, while Streisand posted a photo of herself and Franklin in 2012, captioned, “It’s difficult to conceive of a world without her. Not only was she a uniquely brilliant singer, but her commitment to civil rights made an indelible impact on the world.”

Below, read more tributes to the Queen of Soul:





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