Detroit’s own @KelleyLCarter eulogizes her city’s most iconic resident for @TheUndefeated. “[Aretha] Franklin was an icon to the world,” she wrote, “but to us, she was a neighbor. She was accessible in ways that would blow the minds of outsiders.” https://t.co/qsQ6iyntQw

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) August 16, 2018

 

 

 

 

Well, that's what happens when you come for the Queen.

3 hours ago, ChitHappens said:

Trump tweeted. 

 

Oh, for real?  Well, color ME surprised!

I have many memories of me coming into her home and she would be playing the piano and singing. Words can’t describe the pain I’m feeling, but God is telling me that she is at peace. Today we lost an icon, a legend, but today I lost my grandma. I love u and imma make u proud 💕 pic.twitter.com/cSFK5pibEV

— Vic ✨ (@TDirt__) August 16, 2018

She looks like she has a hospital bracelet on her wrist.

45 minutes ago, Khan said:

Well, that's what happens when you come for the Queen.

And we know she took that Queen thing literally.

 

That whole Beyonce/Tina Turner situation was not her best hour. 

 

 

Edited August 17, 20187 yr by BetterForgotten

 

 

9 minutes ago, BetterForgotten said:

And we know she took that Queen thing literally.

 

That whole Beyonce/Tina Turner situation was not her best hour. 

 

 

Hmm...didn't know about this. It's a shame since I love both. But Tina was right and she was wrong....

Aretha did take her status seriously and didn't seem to count herself as part of a group of legends, but as the only legend.

The entertainment industry has a habit of telling Black entertainers that "there can only be one" and then act shocked when artists get competitive.  As women, they also play on any insecurities that anyone might have.  Aretha wasn't perfect, and I'm sure she was not immune.   Her ex-husband, in declaring that he loved her dearly, cited that she was stubborn and tenacious--qualities that surely secured her longevity but likely didn't always endear her to people.  Artists are not always easy people.  From personal experience, if you're easy and too nice as a woman and artist-- people take advantage of you. I found this out the hard way.  No doubt, Franklin developed a tough exterior and maybe wore that armor even when it wasn't necessary. 

She was an incredibly talented, flawed human.

  

I love both Aretha and Tina and that's not one of the finer moments for the Queen of Soul but let's not pretend that's the worst thing for a singer to do in the industry. Not when we have music producers still sexually assaulting artists without their careers missing a beat.

 

Tina Turner just lost her son about a month ago.  If you were to ask her how high that feud ranked in her list of life's hurts, I'm going to guess a slight from Aretha Franklin would be at the very bottom of her list.

 

Respect and RIP Aretha.

This is a beautiful story.

 

 

Apparently this is the video of the event, which I haven’t had a chance to watch yet:

 

 

16 hours ago, Faulkner said:

By now, we’ve all heard she isn’t well, and I know there are many fans here, so I thought it would be appropriate to start an appreciation thread.

 

During college, my friend and I would lounge around in my dorm and just soak in every track from her 30 Greatest Hits double CD. Other than Songs in the Key of Life, I don’t think there’s an album I’ve played more. My favorite song has always been “Angel,” with its spoken intro dedicated to her sister Carolyn and its almost unbearable sense of longing and loneliness.

 

 

You touched two of my ultimate favorites. Songs in the Key of Life and Angel. Her sister was a talented singer as well and had some moderate success. The song wasn't intended for Aretha but for Carolyn. Story is as soon as it was finished, Carolyn knew it was her sisters song and the rest is history.

3 minutes ago, JaneAusten said:

You touched two of my ultimate favorites. Songs in the Key of Life and Angel. Her sister was a talented singer as well and had some moderate success. The song wasn't intended for Aretha but for Carolyn. Story is as soon as it was finished, Carolyn knew it was her sisters song and the rest is history.

I should really dig more into Carolyn’s work. I’ll save some albums on Spotify. 

 

I’m holding onto Stevie for dear life. At the end of 2016, which we all remember as such of rough year for legends, Slate.com decided to do a weeklong series of articles to appreciate an iconic older artist while they are still here, and they chose Stevie Wonder as the subject. 

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/wonder_week.html

 

Pitchfork did one of their recent weekly reviews on Aretha’s Spirit in the Dark, and their article is filled with some cool insights and biographical details that were new to me.

 

 

 

RIP! Growing up, there wasn’t much Aretha in my house at all, but I’ve come to appreciate and respect her musical legacy. 

 

I’ll have to marathon some Got 2b Real this weekend in tribute. I always was Team Ree over Team Patti.