"No matter where I go, I see Ashanti in the video"
That lyric from Esthero's "We R In Need Of A Musical Revolution" always struck me as kinda odd. I always wondered if Esthero went at Ashanti because she was a bit of a soft target.
That Esthero song came out in like '05, I think. Even though Ashanti was kinda hot when she first came out, by '05 she was on her third album, "Concrete Rose" and that shit was pushing aluminum.
Ain't no big mystery as to what Black female R&B artist was all over MTV at that time, so why didn't Esthero bust shots at her while making such a bold decleration as being in need of a musical revolution. She kinda took shots at Kells, but after Chappelle's "Piss On You" skit, Kells had become a bit of a punchline anyway; and also Britney, but Britney was a bit of a washout by that time herself.
Twitter and Instagram and the like hadn't been around then. Was the Beyhive that strong that it would cause Esthero to fear bussin shots at the crown? Or were her and Bey tight and she didn't wanna come at her friend like that? But everytime I hear the opening line to that song, that old lady voice always go off in my head like "Nah you know dat chile ain't never did nuttin to nobody!"
1. "depends on when the song was written, rather than when it" In response to Reply # 0 Mon Feb-02-15 05:57 AM by b.Touch
was released
If the song was written & recorded during the Murder Inc reign of 2002-2003, Ashanti makes sense. Especially considering she was on dozens of other records as a guest artist.
fans know how long it took for this album to come out. the references in this song were dated by the time the song was released. putting the two together makes me think she had this on deck at least a couple years.
as to whether beyonce was a better target, it's hard to figure. her music doesn't really move me personally, but i don't deny her vocal ability. i don't think the idea behind the song was just to throw rocks at whoever was the most popular at the time it was written; i'm sure her criteria were more specific than that. the bar is lowered now if it even still exists, but there was a time when people complained about ashanti's and britney's singing and their material.