Be it for the good, bad, ugly, or downright shocking, 2023 was full of monumentally memorable moments!
Now, as the year draws to a close, That Grape Juice is reflecting on the occasions that rocked – and to some degree maybe even reshaped – the Urban and Pop cultural landscape as we know it.
Next, we revisit the page-turning memoirs that dominated the headlines and dominated the charts in equal measure. Namely, the releases from Britney Spears and Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Join us below…
Britney Spears has been a media magnet since blasting on the scene almost 25 years ago. However, the controversial conservatorship that governed her personal and professional life has proven a central focus of her latter day narrative.
Taking control of her life in 2021, the performer fought for her freedom; a fight which saw the legal mandate terminated in December of that year.
Still, the public appetite for Spears’ side of her story was immense and she fed the masses this year with her long-awaited memoir ‘The Woman in Me.’
Perhaps more candid that folk more have anticipated, Spears left no stone of her life unturned, waxing frank about her fractured family life, meteoric ascend, substance issues, and her complicated relationship with Justin Timberlake – including the abortion she confirms she had during their teenage relationship. There were several humorous moments too, like JT’s alleged “blaccent.”
Check out TGJ’s top 5 revelations from the book:
Similarly, Jada Pinkett-Smith answered calls for a first-hand look into her life beyond the spotlight.
And oh did the singer/actress spill on her reality – particularly her relationship with husband Will Smith. A relationship she finally confirmed has transitioned out of husband-and-wife to the more platonic “life partners.”
Shattering the carefully crafted veneer of the image they had built for decades, Pinkett-Smith revealed that she and her Hollywood titan hubby had actually been separated for seven years. Meaning they were actually not together during the “entanglement” and Will’s Oscar slap attack on Chris Rock.
Both memoirs were mega-successes, earning spots on the New York Times’ Best Sellers List. Spears’ effort debuted on the tally at #1 and 2 million copies worldwide in its first week.