Brandy may have racked up acclaim aplenty for her latest album ‘Two Eleven’, but her fans aren’t satisfied. And to a degree, we agree.
Flip the hood for the full story…
The collective, which the singer has christened her “Starz’, are angry that for the third consecutive project the proverbial plug has been pulled at point of second single. Indeed, the campaign for 2004’s ‘Afrodisiac’ was capped at ‘Who Is She 2 U’, while 2008’s ‘Human’ was laid to rest with ‘Long Distance’, and now the ‘Two Eleven’ chapter appears to have closed with ‘Wildest Dreams’. This, despite widespread demand for a third release – the most popular option being ‘Do You Know’.
Eager to make their voices heard, the lead B-Rocka fansite, Brandy Source, started a petition in support of the Mike Will produced cut receiving the single treatment.
Peep their promo video below…
Fans keen to join in can sign by clicking here
**********
So where do we stand on the matter? The reality is that we feel somewhat conflicted.
Anyone who has followed That Grape Juice over the years will know that we a) support true talent and b) love us an underdog. As such, we’re almost pre-disposed to supporting a cause that will see one of last year’s most solid LP’s awarded an extra spark of life.
However…
The reality of the music industry is that those pulling the strings, so to speak, deal almost exclusively in figures. We’re talking campaign budgets and returns on investment. Hence, the artists pushed most are those bringing in the most.
Of course, we’re only playing Devil’s Advocate on that front as it’s not always as straight-forward or “fair” as this. Case, point, the models of the music industry who are force-fed to the masses until they like the taste. Such practices often cost millions and consistently leaves us puzzled as to why those $$$ aren’t pumped into established talent on the roster who still have a lot to give – both qualitatively and commercially – if only given the chance.
In any case, however this plays out, we feel Brandy has always “won” in that she has successfully re-embedded her name, skill-set, and musical importance into the fabric of the current music industry; a fact which sets us up the soundest of foundations to build from with her next project.
Still, we want to know, do you agree with the petition? As ever, let us know below…