While Miley Cyrus seems to be getting a lot of hate for her current rebellious phase, we respect her right to experiment and do her thing. We don't mind her wearing a stylized version of grillz, nor do we have a problem with her taking influence from rap music (especially when she's working with people like Pharrell and Mike WiLL). We won't judge her for getting her twerk on, either. But we do feel rather uncomfortable about some statements she made in the latest issue of Billboard magazine.
The cover story delves into her recent musical evolution, though it touches plenty on her apparent mastery of her own image ("Look, I'm not fat or anorexic — I just know my angles"), among other things. But we have to agree with The Huffington Post's Kia Makarechi when it comes to her ideas about "hood music."
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Miley states in the interview that, "A lot of people wanted to try to make me the white Nicki Minaj. That's not what I'm trying to do. I love 'hood' music, but my talent is as a singer." What does she even mean by "hood" music? Is it "urban"? What other euphemisms can we come up with? Either way, she comes off as a bit clueless — especially considering the fact that the very musical evolution this article is about includes significant influence from hip-hop artists and producers. Oh, and as Makarechi aptly points out, "it's uncomfortable for Miley Cyrus to refer to Minaj's repetoire, which has as many pure pop hits, if not more, than Cyrus'."
If Miley wants to riff on "hood music," whatever she conceives that to be, that's okay — music, like any art, is a fluid world that thrives on inspiration and response. But why is she afraid to own it? Why does she want to mix with a genre and then reject it, claiming that she's "a singer"? We are, to put it lightly, confused. (Billboard)
Photo: Courtesy of Billboard Magazine.