Jennifer Hudson: Product vs Promotion

Published: Thursday 15th Sep 2011 by Rashad

Peruse of the Pop charts may give fans a new reason to ask ‘Where You At’ to R&B belter Jennifer Hudson.  The Dreamgirl, who seemingly saw her rise to fame happen overnight, has now found audiences sleeping on her material.  But, to doubt Hudson’s celebrity would be ill as her star in other formats seems to burn as brightly as ever with endorsement deals and silver screen appearances showing without shortage.  However, the platform that originally put the ‘Spotlight’ singer in the spotlight has found itself fading.

Fans first saw Hudson make her way through the ranks of American Idol with fellow belter Fantasia.  The latter walked away with the crown, but Hudson (later) walked away with the gold.  Her 2006 film debut in ‘Dreamgirls’, opposite Pop megastar Beyonce, and 2008 self titled debut album lifted the Idol alum to dizzying heights of decoration (Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy).  But, as Hudson’s headlines fluctuated from chart toppers to personal tragedies and triumphs (that later led to an extended break from the public eye), every year of her absence still saw her active on the big screen but not Billboard (‘Sex and the City’, ‘Secret Life of Bees’, and ‘Fragments’).  Of course, only leaving fans that much more anxious (and angry) for new material from the Chicagoan songbird.

3 years after her first tread on charts, the singer returned with ‘I Remember Me’ led by the ballad ‘Where You At’.  With stiff competition from R&B comeback kid Chris Brown, Hudson’s promotional promenade left no stone unturned, hitting (what seemed like) every major hotspot available at the time.  It seemed to pay off.  With no single in sight on Billboard’s Hot 100 upper half, the singer still managed to move 165k her first week.  However, fans quickly forgot ‘I Remember Me’.  And with watch for its follow-up single ‘No One Gonna Love You’ fading due to everlasting press for the singer’s Weight Watching, ‘Remember Me’ was ironically minimized to a distant memory.

So, what is the problem?  As Brandy, Mya, and many other R&B divas can attest, extended breaks in an ever-changing Pop landscape doesn’t lend many favors.  But, many will argue Hudson’s entire package (look and sound) have improved since her debut effort.  On the other hand, with Electro-Pop still being the dominating force in the industry, is there just not a place for R&B acts who curtail choreography and a troop of background dancers bumping to a beat?  Or, though Hudson’s promo schedule saw no shortage of stops (even months after its release), was there just too much promotion of the wrong single? Material not up to scratch?

We want you to weigh in:  Jennifer Hudson – Product or Promotion?  What’s to blame?

Your thoughts?

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  1. James September 15, 2011

    PROMOTION… The industry is very fickle~~~~

  2. James September 15, 2011

    The tide and times have changed. I would have never thought we would see the day when Rap would garner more sales than R&B. I have a Rap fan, but R&B was so universal for so long that I would have never thought it would decline so fast. It’s almost as if artists have to ALTER there sounds to sell… **Kanye Shrug/Otis Yell**

  3. THE UNIVERSTY OF GAGA (IS†ANN4GAGA) September 15, 2011

    Jennifer Hudson is OKay BUT I wish that she wouldn’t give “Where U At?” such a ratchet title and I was perfectly comfortable with her being bigger tbh….but she’ll do fine.

  4. bey,adele,minaj nd rih runs the world September 15, 2011

    Promotion vs product now.the industry change all the time.she jus have to adjust to it.jhud should jus stick to acting.where is that winnie mandela movie she was doin?

  5. The Truth September 15, 2011

    PRODUCT

    Her promo has been top notch! She’s been on almost all the big television shows, radio, online.

    Her album is certified gold with slightly under 400K in actual sales.

  6. Myke September 15, 2011

    The problem here with Jennifer Hudson is that she doesn’t really have a sound, direction and a stable following. Her voice is beyond amazing but the material that is put together for her on an album is just underwhelming. I would like Jennifer to try to take a chance with R&B , take a chance with her sound. Maybe she needs better writers, producers and direction. Her first album was decent and the second album just didn’t quite cut it. It was boring uninspired. Unlike her counter parts I don’t think she really connects with her music she just sings it. That’s why it just doesn’t work.

  7. b**** please September 15, 2011

    JHUD IS STILL MAKING MONEY B******!!!!!!!!!

  8. KAT DELUNA FAN September 15, 2011

    The music,R&B is just not hot right now

    God bless her

  9. KAT DELUNA FAN September 15, 2011

    @JAMES
    l agree with you

    @B**** PLEASE
    NOT THE PURPOSE OF THE POST

  10. ASAP (As Sincere As Possible) September 15, 2011

    Both the product and the promotion are not focused.It’s mostly about label mistakes tbh rather than one of the other 2 factors.They just churned out ‘Where You At’, which was a hell of a wrong (lead) single choice and while the reception was lukewarm they still went ahead and shoeved it down people’s throat, but since it just wasn’t a good song, why did they focus ALL their promo and budget on that particular song??MISTAKE!Her records are contemporary r’n’b’ and it sounds like something that ANY other r’n’b female could do, even like material of a YouTube artist.With a voice like that, she should be focusing on soul and/or blues, not to washed out urban pop ballads.MISTAKE!And her style is wrong too.She should be different with her image to represent the difference of her voice, but instead she looks like the average r’n’b’ girl.She could go retro like Christina circa ‘Back To Basics’ tbh.However, I think she has a lot to show right now and that this album was doomed since ‘Where You At’ was released, so if they get it right with the lead single, then she has a lot to prove next time

    (But why is this article talking about her like she’s flopped or something??She’s not performing amazingly, but she is by no means flopping)

  11. ASAP (As Sincere As Possible) September 15, 2011

    *shoved *throats

  12. Casual September 15, 2011

    The problem was definitely the material, not the promotion. “Where You At” sucked. Jennifer performed WYA on American Idol – one of the biggest platforms on TV – and the single still flopped. No amount of promotion can overcome a poor song.

    And “No One Gonna Love You” sucked too.

    I can’t believe Clive Davis authorized these two singles to be the lead singles for her album.

  13. ojie king September 15, 2011

    Firstly, her material is strong but not strong enough to compete with the likes of Beyonce and Adele. In my opinion, i think she needs to step away from the urban and look for a more universal sound like Beyonce did when she made I Am and most notably on 4. But, on the acting front, i think she should try AND MAKE MORE MOVIES because i really really like her as an actress, you are right though that her packaging is exceptionally more improved than previously. She now looks like a HOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR!!!!

    But, again, I feel that if she wants to succeed in Mainstream POP and not only RnB, songs like Where You At, should hit the HELL NO PILE. For research, i think she should listen to Adele’s record and try and hire Adele and her writers to write songs that will have a crossover appeal. take for instance Rolling in the Deep, that record was a jewel. They refer to it as the multi-format record because it had an exceptional broad appeal; Pop, Rhythmic, Urban. Now these are the kind of records that Jennifer should be singing if she wants to attain that Adele level without having to take off ones clothes.

  14. Shun September 15, 2011

    The problem is Product, cause the promotion was top notch. Jennifer Hudson has a beautiful, strong and powerful voice. However, the material on her albums have been lackluster and uninspiring.

  15. V September 15, 2011

    Myke nailed it. The problem is clearly product. She has a great voice but her and her team have no idea what they want from her as an artist let alone how to do it. Her music is just there and uninspiring. Musically, she’s been forgotten about. What she needs to really shine Is a definite sound, the right writers/producers and then from there she can garner a dedicated fan base and make an impact

  16. Frameir September 15, 2011

    i still love jennifer…forget all those other pop starlets…smh

    Walmart giving out $1,000 giftcards, becuz of a defect on 10,000 computers .. http://goo.gl/wupAx next 24 hours only..s*** i got 2..lol

  17. Frieda (THE VOICE) September 15, 2011

    I think that Jen needs a better stylist, she needs to learn not to hog call all the time, not every song calls for that, she needs to find producers that can give her better tracks, pronounce yours words throughly Jen. Make r&b soul that doesn’t sound like it came out in the 90’s. It really is common sense in her case.

  18. Kizzle September 15, 2011

    YES! Where you at was a good song to promote her voice but that is it. She sung it on Oprah, Idol , Ellen & Jay…those shows have a different audience. Where you at is alright for like BET. Also….it’s been released for like 6 months and only two singles. Chris brown had like 4 singles before the album was out. Even beyonce performed different songs. That is not her fault. That’s all her record company. I have the album. It’s actually really good! They are just putting out the wrong singles at the wrong time. No ones gonna love you would been the perfect first single then I remember me or I got this (which should been performed on Idol and Jay).

    At the end of the day…I think she has the potential to be up there with Whitney as one of the greatest vocalist. They just need to know what to do with her.

  19. norma September 15, 2011

    PROMOTION 100%!!! Jennifer Hudson is one of the greatest VOICE and VOCALIST of our time. Both AMAZING and INCREDIBLE as an ARTIST!!!

  20. KIMBERLY September 15, 2011

    It cannot be promotion because she was on so many shows when her album came out and product is no excuse cause there are artist who do way more than what she does.

    We all have to just admit that the music industry has changed so much. i remember pop an r&b the last decade was off the chain. Now to sell you have to do the shock factor, the less clothes, the extraordinary. It’s sad that the useless, meaningless, no substance, sexual songs meet the mark. This generation coming up have on likes for real music, they don’t appreciate real talent.
    J hudson is talented and she will do just fine. She has a fan base who will stick with her. The most important thing is that she is talented unlike some artist and she just have to stay true to herself.

  21. oralanthony September 15, 2011

    great read. So i think she definitely needs better material. She has this amazing talent and likeability but i seriously don’t like her music. She needs to get better writers or come two years she just be a blast in the past

  22. kelly September 15, 2011

    Ok yall got to really understand the whole situation here! Jhud is top notch. She may not have top singles, or album sells. But she is doing decent at the moment with her sound. Yes, I do think her material could be better, in do time it will. But please understand THIS, Jhud got an OSCAR, before turning 30, b4 her debut album dropped! Sh*t Madonna, Janet, Beyonce, Whitney, Mariah ..all have tried to get that without coming close! Her first debut album scored a fu*king Grammy! Oscar and Grammy C’mon son, she’s can really do what the fu*k she wants to at this point, she really don’t have anything to prove! Jhud is still young and fresh, she has so much talent, the best is yet to come

  23. Pop Royalty (RUDE BOY) September 15, 2011

    She’s not herself anymore …… sigh
    She’s famous for her weight loss ! and her grammy that she dont have anything beside it !

    It’s all about promotion now ! gaga need to teach them all about it ” except Rihanna” ! She mastered it already !

  24. Shutup September 15, 2011

    You acting like she floppped which is not the case. How many artists you know can sell,over 160,000 albums with only one single that was’nt even top 50?? Exactly like soneone else said jhud does’nt have anything to prove to anyone. She has already accomplished more at the age of 30 than most stars will their entire careers.

  25. deangelo September 15, 2011

    I LIKE JENNIFER HUDSON BUT I FEEL ITS JUST ALL THE DREAM GIRL HYPE IS DIEING DOWN EFFIE SOUNDED GREAT IN THE MOVIE IT WAS ONLY A ROLE HER MUSIC DONT BE ON THAT LEVEL I NEVER THOUGHT SHE WAS GREAT BUT SHE WAS OK SHE DONT COME HARD ENOUGH SORRY I FEEL BAD FOR HER LOSSING HER FAMILY DOE THAT HAD A GREAT DEAL IN HER CAREER SORRY TO SAY JUST BEING HONEST BUT I HOPE FOR THE BEST FOR HER AND FANTASIA

  26. D.Strock September 15, 2011

    I dunno. Like was mentioned, I feel like her appearance and promotion were on-key, and I think the product was great. I suppose it just wasn’t geared toward radio play

  27. lmao September 15, 2011

    jive botched promotion with Fantasia too but she stay on the road and in your face to make herself heard and she had an excellent cd. Jen’s is too so i don’t know what the prollem was since she had the promo. *shrugs shoulders*

  28. ANNONYMOUS September 15, 2011

    I think singers are promoting the wrong songs and not letting those who aren’t buying their albums hear enough of their material because like Kelly Rowland, they sing the same song on every show.

    I also think people have forgotten what real music is and are now following a look opposed to good solid music. I actually like JHud’s album, its not so different from previous ones.

    However, I do think singers release the wrong singles, I think they should start asking the fans what they want released.

  29. lol September 15, 2011

    @ojie king
    AMEN

  30. MrIncredible September 15, 2011

    Product… nobody is checking for her stale ass music.

  31. Ghetto Fab September 15, 2011

    Definitely PRODUCT! “Where you at” <—- are you serious JHud??? You are an ACADEMY AWARD WINNER not Dondria or Keyshia Cole. Get it together girl! She was hyped up like the second coming like she was Whitney but failed to get any smashes yet. Where is her "Wanna Dance With Somebody" or "How Will I Know" or "I Will Always Love You???? She needs to sit down with a team of writers and craft out a sound for her. She is too big of a talent to go to waste.

    In the meantime while her album fades she needs to call David Guetta's ass and do a video for "Night Of Your Life." She soars on that track it could be her breakout song. It could be a great segway into a new improved JHUD. One with a new hot sound that matches her new hot looks. I'm rooting for her.

  32. colddiva September 15, 2011

    This is my honest perception of how I feel about the JHud product vs. property. JHud does have a nice voice and with that said, I truly believe her grammy, oscar was given as a token black. During the time when she won her oscar it truly was about being black. Her grammy win was truly a pitty award given for all she had just went thru with her family. In all honesty I believe that Jammie Foxx along with Beyonce should have be given a Oscar because they two play the hell out of their performance as Actor/Actress. Also Anita should also have won a Oscar too. That year it was all about being black. Had JHud been up for best Actress instead of Best supporting Actress she wouldn’t have won her Oscar, Had Beyonce been Best Supporting instead of Best Actress she would have indeed won her Oscar. Yes JHud has a nice voice but she’s so boring now and she needs to come off that Dreamgirls voice and try to find her voice in the industry. This is why she is milking that WW’s to the tee.

  33. Matthew Charlery-Smith September 15, 2011

    I think it’s a case of the wrong type of music. As TGJ has noted with Leona, the sing-only-model would have worked a few years ago. In Urban music, more is expected of Black Artists since the rise of Beyonce, Ciara, Usher etc who do most things well. At the moment the World is awe-struck by Adele but this is the first time in AGES that the World has stopped to see a White-female artist (over voice alone) probably since Celine Dion’s early 90’s debut into the English-speaking market. People have always expected Black artist to have good voices so when we do, Hey it’s no surprise!

    Jennifer has a voice that encompasses the whole spectrum of Black voices, she can belt the best, she can do soft and smooth and she can emote well. However, rather than follow a commercial route into what people are listening to she’s done a ballad-type album it seems which is too reminiscent of 80’s, 90’s female singers. A dance song or two, Jay-Z or the like on a few songs and we’d be onto a winner. She’d be commercial, she’d be more marketable rather than this woman with an amazing voice that we respect but don’t buy the music of (a bit like Barbara Streisand).

    Beyonce’s success doesn’t really stem from her innate talent, rather it has depended on here ability to morph into whatever people want to see, cue blonde hair, big-booty showing often, s**-appeal (far too overdone in her case) and solid RnB/Hip-Hop music. If you look back at early Destiny’s Child videos you’ll see that Beyonce was not a great dancer but she’s learnt how to be dynamic in that area. Some would say, everything about her is Black except her image which is why I mentioned the blonde hair, she’s NEVER changed it, not for about 11 years! Jennifer, however needs to be more visible not use s**-appeal, that’s cheap, if Adele is working then why not Jen? The answer is above but like I said the sing-only-model is not for Blacks anymore, we’ve wowed the world with our voices for too long!

    Also, considering the drama in her life, a sit down with a major TV personality would help people see her album in it’s true light, a recovery from the personal disasters she’s suffered etc.

  34. DTG September 15, 2011

    Shut up Sam.

  35. NikNak September 15, 2011

    When she lost the weight she lost that special spark….I know people will be like she looks great now but that was j-huds spark…..like gaga has her gimmicks take that away she will fade…She has been replaced by adele. think about j-hud now singing effi, it doesn’t work even with the voice. She has a great voice yes, but the songs were boring, lacked creativity and uniqueness. That’s the problem with most rnb now their songs lack creativity and their just boring….rnb isn’t boring, well it wasn’t before with the whitney houstons, toni braxtons and so on.

    Oh, and jennifer did deserve her grammy for playing dream girls I have cried a million times when she sang…I think thats what people want…they want eiffy.

  36. Nopes September 15, 2011

    She sucks, she tries too damn hard to be skinny. She screams on over damn song, she has no cross over appeal. These blacks dont buy cd they bootleg them. If she wanted to make money and sell Cd’s her music would need to appeal to a whiter audience. FOR THE LAST TIME, SHE SHOULDN’T MAKE CD’S, SHE SHOULD JUST STICK TO STAGE PLAYS OR BROADWAY, THERE IS NO VERSATILITY IN HER VOICE, EVERY SONG, SOME STYLE!!!!!!!! O, DID I MENTION SHE IS UGLY

  37. bey’knight September 15, 2011

    @ojie king

    i dont really think its fair to use Adele as comparison to anyone, how many records in recent times have acheieved that status that RITD did? u have to rmbr Adele is not Gaga or Rihanna she wasnt tryna write a record that would break airplay boundaries, it just so happened that she’s so talented and the record in itself is great and comes from a genuine raw place. u cant force thing s like that or make predictions it goes against artistic virtue

  38. Frieda (THE VOICE) September 15, 2011

    While I’m at it Jen, I’ma need you to get that surgery that shrinks your head some and them lips could stand a little slimming…. Hell , just tell the surgeon to have a ball. Throw them cheap wigs away cause they pull your forehead back. Start applying lotion to your knees before you leave the house cheezin and s***. Cut your toes off cause pedicures ain’t working boo boo. Please tell them to stop playing that damn weight watchers commercials singing freedom is mine, you know how I feel, cause u f***** that song up bad. The guy that originally sang that song rolls in his grave everytime you crucify his song. #thatisall

  39. ZANIA September 15, 2011

    I disagree with promotion, I think R & B fans aren’t buying music anymore, they are converting to pop music. Think about it what R & B artist this past 8 months sold more than 500,000 copies, Only 1 straight R & B artist R KELLY and 2 R & B/Pop Artist, Chris Brown and Beyonce. You can’t say every R & B artist music sucks, so many came out with albums since 11/2010 and the albums barely sold 300,000 to date for some. I think that Pop/dance/Rap is taking over and R & B is fading.

  40. Who gon stop me huh??? (queenbey) September 15, 2011

    While I’m at it Jen, I’ma need you to get that surgery that shrinks your head some and them lips could stand a little slimming…. Hell , just tell the surgeon to have a ball. Throw them cheap wigs away cause they pull your forehead back. Start applying lotion to your knees before you leave the house cheezin and s***. Cut your toes off cause pedicures ain’t working boo boo. Please tell them to stop playing that damn weight watchers commercials singing freedom is mine, you know how I feel, cause u f***** that song up bad. The guy that originally sang that song rolls in his grave everytime you crucify his song. #thatisall
    ^^^^^

    LMAOOOOOOO

  41. damn Shame! September 15, 2011

    I think the industry is over saturated with artists.. too many to choose from, so a lot of folks have turned on Jennifer because she lied about her weight lose,, the thing is, obesity goes hand and with the African American community. Especially darker sisters. Jennifer wasn’t ever known as a s** symbol artist to begin with. The African American community feels she turned on them by not expressing her real vehicle for loosing weight (lap band) and sticking to that jenny Craig lie. She played herself right then. People like what’s real, tangible, achievable. She turned on the people, therefore, they have no money or time for her projects, no matter how good they are. She should go with acting.. the acting industry tends to be more forgiving

  42. JER September 15, 2011

    Jennifer Hudson is flawless. That voice. THAT VOICE. If only she was like Mariah and had a great craft for melodies and songwriting. She needs a great songwriting partner that can pull the gift out of her. Actually lol her and Mariah should collaborate creatively. Mimi’s sound these days could help hone Jhud some skills.

  43. Unique September 15, 2011

    agree with the commenter who said it’s about giving people what they want to see and Beyonce was a great example. While I do enjoy beyonce, I can see that it was the illusion that she created that made her a star versus her actual ability to sing or dance. I think Kelly has a better voice, but for some reason, we would’ve rather seen Beyonce in DS vs. any of the other ones.. maybe Jennifer needs a good manager like Matthew was to Beyonce. She needs some gimmicks and someone to come up with good cross over ideas,

    I also agree with the commenter that said a good “sit down” with a major network program in a interview setting, like 20/20 or dateline would be a good idea to boost record sales

  44. Unique September 15, 2011

    jennifer husdon big ass lips be screaming all of her songs out. I cant stand her retarded bobble head lookin self. with them elephant huffs and ashy knuckles! ugh!! Ive never heard any of her songs being mentioned by anyone that I know.. never heard her new Cd on the radio.. she should call fantasia’s fat ass and ask her ” now how does this idol reject s*** work”?

  45. kelly September 15, 2011

    @Damn Shame if you don’t STFU! Why not respect a person who decided to get in shape! All this talk about loving yourself at any size is BullSh*t, its not healthy. Im proud that Jhud decided to take the pounds off and get in shape. The African -American community needs to take note. Again Jhud got an oscar and grammy B4 30, she’s just taking a lil rest be4 her big return. That’s All

  46. Angela September 15, 2011

    There is something about Jennifer Hudson’s music that I don’t relate to. I don’t connect with it enough to purchase. I can compare her to Leona Lewis in that respect – two women with great voices, but I’m not connecting to the stories in their music.

  47. deangelo September 15, 2011

    YOU PEOPLE ARE JUST HATING JENNIFER AND FANTASIA ARE THE GREATEST

  48. stan September 15, 2011

    it’s DEFINITELY her music. i’ve listened to her albums, and save for a few songs, they’re really not that memorable.

  49. NATE September 15, 2011

    Promotion and looks was never the problem. The material is, nothing Jennifer has released on this cd was strong enough to encourage buy. She needed a soul ballad or soulful uptempo that’s catchy.
    I’m surprised she even accepted some of that boring basic watered down R&B music. She should demand more from her writers and producers.

  50. honeydip September 15, 2011

    FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @HONEY_DIP11 I FOLLOW BACK!
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  51. whatitis September 15, 2011

    JHud’s problem is the image and songs..Idol doesn’t know who to get current RnB artists as winners/contestants, so they get off the show and have no identity..JHud, has no musical identity, and you would think Fantasia was in her 40’s, not 27. JHud, doesn’t have many options and has not shown growth or mass appeal..they hype her to death, give her all the promo, interviews, etc..She’s treated A-list because of the oscar, but she doesn’t have the musical success, creativity, identity, or originally to be A-list because of music. She should get into TV more and branch out her brand.

  52. k September 15, 2011

    They should release two more singles and give the album a chance.

  53. B September 15, 2011

    PRODUCT: That entire album didn’t showcase what she could do. When she got to “Feelin’ Good” her voice sounded as if she was screaming. She is not a dance artist but a powerhouse ballad and midtempo singer. Actually, I thought that her first record was way better. This was a poor effort and not worth the wait. I still love her though but this album is a disappointment to say the least so I say: PRODUCT!!!

  54. BDABOSS September 15, 2011

    I personally feel as though “Where You At” was a horrible lead single, and I wonder who made that decision. I reiterate, HORRIBLE! The lyrics, melody, and beat were wack. I hate to be the harsh critic, but I expected more from Jennifer’s sophomore album. I know it’s R&B but at the same time something about that song sounded extremely ghetto to me.

  55. Almond Joy September 15, 2011

    Her image doesn’t match her music…. people could relate to her when she was fat. She was the fat black girl who made to the A List and her music was drenched in soul. She got a new physique and tried to crossover and nobody is feeling it. Where You At would have been perfect on her 1st album, it felt forced after the personal tragedy and her weight loss. She needs songwriters and producers who can develop music around her big voice and personal journey. She can’t sing assembly studio material cuz she can’t emote and she simply hollers everything. She should really try to focus on giving us that traditional R&B/Soul and just say f*** being commercial. That David Guetta song and Leona Lewis were ill suited mishaps. You gotta be true to your voice and who you are…. thats how you find TRUE success.

  56. Almond Joy September 15, 2011

    Songs like Gone, I Remember Me and the other pop/R&B songs on her album should have went to Monica. She is the only person with a crossover voice on J/Arista Records and instead of giving her those forced MJB leftovers, give Mo those wannabe Whitney type tracks. Monica can emote and she knows how to put soul in a pop song like Whitney did. Jennifer & Fantasia should stay solely in R&B. Let Alicia & Monica tackle pop as well as running R&B. Jazmine & Marsha can pick up the slack when someone doesn’t have an album out. J/Arista would be slaying the scene with that business initiative.

  57. deangelo September 15, 2011

    MONICA IS GOOD BUT SHE DONT SWITCH IT UP ENOUGH SHE STILL DOING THE SAME MUSIC FROM WHEN SHE FIRST CAME OUT

  58. Bow Down to The Perrylicious… (The Queen of TGJ) September 16, 2011

    I like this girl!

  59. Bow Down to The Perrylicious… (The Queen of TGJ) September 16, 2011

    The One That Got Away -Katy Perry (Teenage Dream (Deluxe Version))

    The One That Got Away -Katy Perry (Teenage Dream (Deluxe Version))

    The One That Got Away -Katy Perry (Teenage Dream (Deluxe Version))

    The One That Got Away -Katy Perry (Teenage Dream (Deluxe Version))

    The One That Got Away -Katy Perry (Teenage Dream (Deluxe Version))

    The One That Got Away -Katy Perry (Teenage Dream (Deluxe Version))

    The One That Got Away -Katy Perry (Teenage Dream (Deluxe Version))

    Aimed to be Katy’s 6 #1 and pass MJ’s record. You mad?

  60. VA STAND UP!!! September 16, 2011

    Very interesting post here, but why do I get the feeling TGJ does this to bait stans and start a war? I just feel like there they are always trying to be shadey and get fans to argue! *shrugs

    I can’t with this tonite! I’m too tired! But I will say that I think Jennifer IS a talented singer/actress who definitely is deserving of all the success she has had, I just think that people have loss interest in her. I think her promotion has been good, she’s been performing all over the place, late night talk shows, morning shows, she has been very active on twitter, her weight watcher commercials are ALWAYS on, her first single did really well, and then after that she kinda fizzeled out. She couldn’t keep people’s attention long enough for them to go purchase the entire album. So I would have to say product.

    I am also quite sick of those damn weight watchers commercials though! I go to sleep with that damn ‘I’m flying high, you know how I feel….’ in my head! It’s soo annoying!

  61. THEMAN September 16, 2011

    Lol @VA about the weight watchers commercial. The weight watches things kinda took away from the music somewhat. The promotion was excellent. Her firt two songs were good to me. However, they should have been singles in reverse order. I don’t think that it is so much about her trying to be something she isn’t she’s just trying to show growth. “I Remember Me” and “Gone”, still need to be singles. The labels need to keep promoting these records after two singles. Some of the songs on this album are subpar sounding. It just sounds like fillers. But it’s good that she isn’t just trying to go for just one sound. But the songs need to connect. Her firt two singles were good to me. Adele did not replace Gaga either. Gaga is doing fine. Beyonce wouldn’t have won an Oscar either, because she did good but thats all. Jennifer deserves her success. By the way this album is gold. So she didn’t do to bad. But she could do better.

  62. THEMAN September 16, 2011

    Ecuse the errors.

  63. THEMAN September 16, 2011

    Another thing stop comparing these artists. They all have their own fans. It’s plenty of room for lots of artists to do their own dayum thing. One artist success does not have anything to do with the next artist. Ther are different audiences out there.

  64. nice_gurl September 16, 2011

    The promotion is not lacking at all. She promoted the album on many popular tv day and night shows.

    I think people just aren’t into r&b music that much anymore. I’m hoping this will change, but I have no idea when because it is driving me insane when all you hear on radio is pop, with the exception of a couple of Beyonce songs, a couple of Rihanna’s and Chris’s songs.

  65. deangelo September 16, 2011

    JENNIFER HUDSON ABLUM DID DECENT SHE WENT GOLD BUT I DO THINK THE SONGS WERE BORING AND CHRIS BROWN WITH GOLD CONGRATS

  66. MISHKA September 16, 2011

    I’d say: The SINGER, then the MUSIC.

    Regarding the singer, we all know Jennifer Hudson found her REAL fame as an actress. Yes she was on American Idol but she got all those awards for playing big fat Effie and outstaging Beyonce onscreen. Then came the tragedy and I always felt like she got the Grammy because of that. Jennifer is a great singer like almost every black girl who makes it to the top12 on American Idol. She made herself a household name as a sassy big girl who overcame a great tragedy, just like Effie. But she decided to change it up, to lose weight and to become an it-girl. She plays a completely different part and the audience can not relate to that.

    Regarding the music, we all known POP is the reigning rythm right now. I can’t see any of those kids out there bobbing their heads on some Keith Sweat, that music is just too slow for them. Usher, Beyoncé, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown brought contemporary R’n’B to the top for some years. R’n’B needs to be re-invented again, and I think Miguel is the NKOTB who is doing the best job right now.

    Jennifer needs to sing the music that matches the persona she’s showing right now. Since Nicki Minaj found the missing link, she’s unstoppable.

  67. Mely B September 16, 2011

    I think that with Jennifer & Fantasia in particular there is still an element of “American Idol” backlash which hasn’t affected Kelly Clarkson. Jennifer was labeled as “arrogant”, “shouty” and “weird to watch” when she was on that show so people who didn’t like her then aren’t likely to support her now. I am a fan and know that with continued acting and stage performances, JHud will get better & better and hopefully be able to hang in there until r&b music makes a comeback.

    I hate to say this but I believe there is more racism involved with the lack of support that not only JHud but all African-American r&b singers are facing today. A lot of white people like the soulful singing of white artists but won’t support the same sound from an AA artist.

    Also today’s listeners don’t give music a chance to “marinate” – all a lot of people want is a hot beat over infantile lyrics.

  68. Mely B September 16, 2011

    Frieda (THE VOICE)

    September 15, 2011 at 3:31 pm

    While I’m at it Jen, I’ma need you to get that surgery that shrinks your head some and them lips could stand a little slimming…. Hell , just tell the surgeon to have a ball. Throw them cheap wigs away cause they pull your forehead back. Start applying lotion to your knees before you leave the house cheezin and s***. Cut your toes off cause pedicures ain’t working boo boo. Please tell them to stop playing that damn weight watchers commercials singing freedom is mine, you know how I feel, cause u f***** that song up bad. The guy that originally sang that song rolls in his grave everytime you crucify his song. #thatisall
    ^^^^^^

    You are a hatin’ CLOWN!! “The guy” who sings FEELING GOOD is actually the late great Nina Simone – a woman!!!

  69. Frieda (THE VOICE) September 16, 2011

    @MELY B, i don’t give a damn who sang the song, my point was that Jennifer trashed it, this is why weight watchers revised her original version of the commercial, because she was torturing their ears as well as innocent ears all over America with that Down home s**** hymn voice of hers. Bish sings like she leading the underground railroad to freedom. Fall back boo

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