50 Cent On Kelly Rowland: “She Never Got The Shine Beyonce Did”
In a recent interview with Billboard, rapper 50 Cent weighed in on the seemingly ever-raging debate about Destiny’s Child alum’s Beyonce and Kelly Rowland. Speaking of his ‘Baby By Me’ co-star, 50 said:
“You can’t forget all the work she did with Destiny’s Child. The difference between Kelly and Beyoncé is the extreme focus they put on Beyoncé to make sure she was completely right. Kelly wasn’t held in the same regard, so, in order for her to mean anything to America, they’d have to match the marketing dollars spent on Beyoncé. She never received the superstar treatment.”
While ol’ Curtis usually spouts the utmost of caca, I do actually agree with him here. Never one to explicitly compare the two myself, it’s quite a valid point that had Kelly, who is as fundamentally talented Beyonce IMO, had the machine that powers Bouncy’s brand given to her, she too would be a world-renown star. It’s important to stress that Beyonce’s current industry position isn’t based on the ‘machine’ alone; clearly the work she puts into her craft and artistry is what has taken her to that ‘future Icon’ status. However, had Kelly had it psychologically programmed into her that she was the business and was a ’superstar-in-the-making’ in the way Beyonce had (see: pretty much everything Destiny’s Child), I imagine she’d be one of the world’s biggest stars today too. I mean if Rihanna can do it with next-to-no talent and soley the ‘machine’ powering her hype, then Kelly sure as hell could with her undeniable talent.
Some of you may wonder why I rep so hard for Ms. Kelly. Well, when you see talent of her calibre shunned and arguably made (inadvertently) to feel they are lesser (the reason I feel behind some of Kelly’s not-so-great performances), you can’t help but ’stan’. For you know what they are capable of and able to achieve should all the right pieces of the puzzle be affixed. One need not look further than the undeniable swagger Kelly was exuding during the ‘Destiny Fulfilled project’, where I’d argue she gave Ms. Knowles-Carter a run for her money more times than not – everything from the weave-tossing, Naomi Campbell Walk’s and even, at times, vocals.
I never understood how it made more sense to some (who shall remain nameless) to not maximise the Destiny’s Child brand by ensuring each was as big a solo star as the possibly could be – a super group almost. In simpler terms, imagine a group – for example – with the individual ’star-power’ of the Beyonce, Ciara and (because I couldn’t think of another name) Rihanna? That would be off-the-charts!
Again, I reiterate that this is in no way any shade on Beyonce, who we love around here. Just telling it like it is…
In any case, in being forward thinking, things are definitely looking up for Kelly, with her new team, soon-to-be-announced new label etc. Let’s just hope she gets the success she deserves this go round. (In true ’stan’ fashion lol), I shall leave you with some of Kelly’s best showings…
Your thoughts?
Filed Under: 50 Cent, Kelly Rowland
