Cardi B is a rapper, she’s Trini and her new song “Up” already has 43 million views on YouTube although truthfully I’m not sure what a 57-year-old white guy like myself is supposed to make of it specially the vulgarity and the use of the N-word. Or the distinction in her narrative between her suitors which I think she will honor them by inscribing their name in her very flash versus the second cohort which temporarily shall we say leave their mark.
I saw Irving ease off a Jewish successful music manager interviewed on stage about a year ago at a conference in LA with his client Nikki Minaj, also mixed race or West Indian or Trini I believe. And I am quite certain Azoff will never be a candidate for intimacy with Nicki Minaj but somehow based on his stature he does sort of tease her in a way that does not seem appropriate I think he literally called her a bitch I have a tape of this and she pretended to be offended or she pretended to not be offended.
As I ponder this and in fact I sent a letter to city Council of Palo alto regarding our history of racism here and made a very obscure reference to the phrase “nut on our butt” which I attributed to Cardi B but did not really explicate.
I also sent a note to a reporter or critic for the New York Times saying I agreed with her in part regarding Cardi B and I tried to qualify my assent using these same dangerous metaphors.
on the YouTube account with 43 million views although when I did it earlier this morning it had 42 million views and more than 100,000 comments I said something about this is like an updated version of Mary Tyler Moore who said you’re going to make it after all.
Saul Rogovin was a Jewish major leaguer and although I could name a couple thousand major leaguers I don’t think I was familiar with him. But after his career ended he attended a junior college in New York the same one that Carti attended years later and that is how they are linked .
I have a similar problem with pop smoke not sure what to make of his references to his sexual prowess . and his use of the N-word. but my thinking has evolved such that I agree that his song “we are up in all the stores” could be seen as a protest song if you reference the philosophical and perhaps French thinking about property is theft. so looting is political and not just self-serving and material.
and on 60 minutes last night they had Bill Gates who gave away 20 billion yet hordes 20 billion eating a hamburger and discussing his cognitive diffidence .
and then they have Simone biles 4 foot 11 admitting she was abused. Is it good or bad that Stanford UCLA and Michigan all have mini Simones? Or wrapping it all up how much agency does a Cardi B or a Nicki Minaj actually have and do their proclamations of self empowerment really trickle down to their listeners?
edit to ad, an hour later, and after I started to listen again to Irving Azoff and Nicki Minaj February 5, 2020 in Beverly Hills at Pollstar conference:
Nicki has increased her social media presence 20 percent from 110m followers to 130m.
Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss 