Vibe Confidential revokes Justin Timberlake’s ghetto pass
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
Apparently Justin Timberlake disses Janet Jackson in one of his new songs:
It’s not enough that he thinks he brought sexy back, but now word is that Justin Timberlake is talking smack about Janet Jackson on a new track. The song titled “Give It to Me”, which features Timbaland and Nelly Furtado, leaked to the Internet, and Justin’s lyrics are raising a few eyebrows:
“Could you speak up and stop mumbling / I don’ t think you’re even clear / When you’re sitting on the top / It’s hard to hear you from way up there / I saw you tryin’ to act cute on TV / ‘Just let me clear the air’ / We missed you on the charts last week / Damn, that’s right. You wasn’t there.”
So Vibe Confidential has decided to officially revoke his ghetto pass. They add: “Oh yeah, and he’s no longer allowed to rock a fade.” Hehe…
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
MizuWari wrote:
There’s something to be said about having class and being crass to be sure, but what…nobody (White) can talk smack about Her Highness Miss Jackson? When she gets fricasseed by other Black people in other Black-centric magazines who just “tell it like it ’tis?”
It’s not Justin’s fault that his joint rocks and J.J.’s is sinking like a bag of rocks. Ghetto pass revoked or not (who the hell “issued” him one in the first place, anyway?) I’ll still bump homie’s joint…simply because it’s GOOD. Vibe needs to rethink its editorial content to begin with, not try to be neo-hipster cute with also ran, grade school-style humor.
Posted 17 Nov 2006 at 1:54 pm ¶
S wrote:
When you have to resort to dissing people on a track, you have become a true punk and sellout. Period. That whole boob incident is so yesterday. He had to “bring it back” to add drama to his album, since drama sells so well. Dogged Brit, now Janet. I bet he won’t dog Eminem or worse, Suge Knight… Yeah, I’d like to see that!
And for the record, I hate that SHE was put under so much scrutiny when Prince Whiteness was barely blamed at all. I hate that she even took part in such a lame act.
Posted 17 Nov 2006 at 6:48 pm ¶
Y. Carrington wrote:
I’m like MizuWari: Who gave that fool a ghetto pass in the first place? I mean—damn!
Posted 17 Nov 2006 at 6:56 pm ¶
merq wrote:
Y. Carrington:
Yeah, that’s the only thing I agree with MizuWari on. It’s not about white people dissing HRH, Janet Jackson. It’s about people assuaging their guilt for listening to/buying another Timberlake joint after he left this woman high and dry in what was essentially a racist, sexist media-lynching.
But to then mock her for selling poorly? That’s goes wayy beyond crass. This woman had built an astoundingly successful career before this happened, and I think it’s safe to say her recording career is officially over, thanks to that incident.
So yes, Vibe has every right to call him out on mocking her for suffering the backlash from something they both had a hand in. Whether you like Timberlake’s music or not, don’t get all high-handed with Vibe for doing what they did.
Posted 17 Nov 2006 at 9:46 pm ¶
bertie wrote:
I got to ride with Merq on this one. The ghetto pass thing is tired but the essential thought behind it is dead on. JT made the leap from boy band corniness to pop star–largely in part to his affiliation with black popular music sounds and aesthic. I mean he flat out mimiced Mike Jackson’s dance moves for every video on his first album, and relied on a “hip hop” sound of the Neptunes and Timberlake. Since so many black folks lent him some credibility to make the leap–you think he would have stood tall during the nipplegate episode instead of relying on his white privilege to escape the backlash. The cowardice displayed by his relying on white privilge and crassness displayed by kicking janet when she is down shows a lack of character.
Posted 20 Nov 2006 at 8:20 pm ¶
Kennady wrote:
He was talking about britney spears……DUH! Just listen to the song “What goes Around” on his new album! I can’t believe people actually think this was about janet. WOW! Give the damn bot his pass back!
Posted 28 Nov 2006 at 12:34 pm ¶
S wrote:
Even if so, I stand by what I said above. PUNK. Period.
Posted 28 Nov 2006 at 3:30 pm ¶