Legendary film director Spike Lee (‘Do the Right Thing,’ ‘Malcolm X,’ ‘School Daze,’ etc.) is definitely of the school of thought that Grammy winning R&B singer Chrisette Michele did not do the right thing when she accepted a gig to perform at an inauguration special for president elect Donald Trump.
The gig, turned down by famed stage and recording star Jennifer Holliday (who is still being dragged on Twitter for even accepting it in the first place, was handed to Michele for a reported $750,000. What the move also purchased Michele was an ongoing Twitter dragging and a removal from consideration for Lee’s forthcoming Netflix series.
Details inside:
Via Lee’s official Instagram:
The ‘Black Girl Magic’ maestra took to her official web site to address all the hoopla. Click here to read that if you missed it.
![Kanye West Unleashes 'Like That' Remix [Listen]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/kanye-west-like-that-remix-tgj-464x260.jpg "Kanye West Unleashes 'Like That' Remix [Listen].")
No shade. But if she got paid 750k can you really blame her. She’s been around for years and probably has a net worth of 500k.
That said, she’ll be performing for ghosts because trumps fans don’t give a hell about her music.
You’re right…well, I guess she better drink her honey tea and sing the ish out of whatever she is performing lol…farewell, boo boo
You are acting like 550K (the equivalent of 750K after expenses, state, and federal taxes) is the equivalent of 20 million when it is not. She is dumb and uneducated and that is why she is allowing herself to be a pawn. She also has not been around for “years” so she had plenty of potential to make way more than a small Trump check in her career. If performing at Trump’s inauguration is being seen as supporting a man against blacks and gays then a smarter artist or manager would not do it. Period. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Um. You weren’t feeding her! This can’t hurt her career. She was struggling before her name got attached to all this. She’ll either get more attention and possibly do better because of press OR she’ll go back to struggling like last week. But don’t pretend that pissing off black Twitter does something detrimental to her career.
@B. Hill don’t make assumptions on who has supported her in the past. I watched R&B Divas LA for two seasons and because people like me watched (i.e. ratings) she was able to get paid and a call back for another season. I don’t think her career was “struggling” as you said either. It takes time, talent, and hard work to go from a “struggling” artist to a successful one. Obviously she is too lazy to put in the work.
But have you bought her music tho?
@Brandy do you know the definition of support is not limited to buying music or are you just slow?
And it begins…lol
My black ass wasn’t gonna turn dat kinda money n my network probably not even that!! Get ya coin sista girl,America done made there decision, Donald Trump they wanted Donald Trump they got end of story
You must be poor and slow with a mentality like that. I guess 750K is “dat kinda money” to some folks but to me she could have made 20x that by just continuing to write and create songs, touring, and managing other artists. You would never see Janelle Monae be a sucker like that for a measly 750K and that is why I like Janelle much better and will also boycott Cassette Michelle. Good luck to Cassette Tape getting new fans from Trump fans who label her music as “nig**r music.”
America’s choice was not Donald Trump actually considering he got millions of less votes than the other candidate.
Meh. Petty. But so? She’ll probably get more from playing the inauguration than she would having her music featured in an episode of some measly Spike Lee web series. Didn’t Spike Lee used to direct feature films? Now he’s working for Netflix. Someone isn’t in a position to be pompous…
That is totally false. Cassette Tape is an independent artist. Having your music featured in any television shows brings you new consumers that could purchase your music and buy a ticket to see you when you tour. Same goes for artists that publicly support the gays and black polititians. Those same artists get booked for gay events and black festivals. Those events easily pay 50K to 150K per booking so drop the delusion that 750K is all Cassette Tape’s career is worth.
“And that’s the truth, Ruth!”
Gotta love ol’ school shade lol.
Yup! That’s how this works. Align yourself with your supporters, don’t spit in their face and tell them it’s raining. Girl had a couple cute jams, and I hope her Wikipedia page is updated, because after the inauguration there won’t be shlt else to add.
I’d hardly shed a tear over it if I were her. More people will see and hear her at the inauguration than they would on Spike’s little online show.
Honestly I don’t blame her. As I stated before most of her so called fans claiming they listen to her weren’t supporting her to begin with. She has to live and if I were her I would do it. Take the money and now she is more known then ever. A lot of whites and black people don’t even know who she is. Start supporting these black artist and maybe they won’t have to do things like this.
Basically. This is just like when black folks complain when artists like Usher and Nicki Minaj step outside the box and make euro-pop records for a whiter crowd. Where were you when they looking to serve your interests? You weren’t interested, so…
@OQRAM Making euro-pop records is not “stepping outside of the box”. Making euro pop records is stepping IN the box. That’s the whole point. And I don’t really care about the Crisette situation but Usher and Nicki weren’t supported by black people? Lies. Black people were the first and for a while, the only ones, to embrace them, and once black people put them on the map and they gained enough leverage, they crossed over. Black people only stopped supporting them WHEN they made those stupid euro pop records. I will say that Usher’s crossover was a little more genuine than Nicki’s though. All in all, what happened was, their eyes got bigger than their stomachs and they weren’t satisfied with the urban audiences they did have, because their were so many people they weren’t appealing to. That crossover was about MORE money and fame. Nothing else.
Well damn, tell the truth.
You can’t blame consumers for Casette Tape’s dumb choice. Consumers buy music they like. If she is not poppin then that is nobody’s fault but her own. You would never find Jonelle Monae letting herself be used like a puppet for Trump. Whatever happened to dignity and pride? Whatever happened to building a career? Nowadays people like you and Cassette Tape expect careers to be poppin overnight and it does not work that way, especially when you are a minority. You have to build a career based on hard work and talent not talent and a gimmick.
How can she be dropped if she was never in it? He was “thinking” about using her song. Spike’s Lee “thoughts” don’t pay her bills.
That’s right Spike, put her on the blacklist. Deprive her music from being exposed to those 100 viewers who stream your mostly unknown show (80 of whom probably wouldn’t even notice the music and 99 of whom who still wouldn’t buy it.)
When will online trolls learn that bullying celebrities usually has a boomerang effect? Would people like Bieber still be here if he didn’t have haters whose hate wouldn’t let his name die like it was supposed to? This is the most I’ve EVER heard about Chrisette Michelle in a single day. This attempt forge a backlash might actually make her career.
Smh… like the old saying goes… All money ain’t good money…. She better sang her ass off and spend that $750,000 WISELY because this may be the last time someone will ever want to book her…. unless…… … R&B Divas gets a reboot….
Maybe she doesn’t just want to be just confined to the black community. You ever think that? Until you pay Chrisette’s bills, you can have an opinion on what she does with her job. She is a musician, not a politician. Even if black people -blacklist- her, she will probably gain more white fans who probably will actually go to iTunes to purchase her music and actually go to the store to give her a chance. One thing about Dr. King is that he met the adversity head on, he went to hang with the people who didn’t understand us and brought us all together and I feel like that’s what she is doing. I still love her voice, God gave it to her and no one can take it away from her. So you haters can have several seats because what is for her is for her and you cannot stop it.
1. Or maybe she just wants that check? That’s her decision to just do it for the money, so be it, but don’t make it seem like she’s that deep. If she was, why hasn’t been more vocal about her advocacy for solidarity prior to this opportunity?
2. In what universe, can getting paid to perform at Trump’s inauguration be comparable to any work Dr. King accomplished? You seem to have a very elementary understanding of his doctrine and need to have a stadium of seats for that reach, alone.
3. Another thing about Dr. King is that those people he reached out to, shot him in the head.
4. Who is Chrisette Michele bringing together and how??
Whatever
But does he still support Steve Harvey? Do you still support Steve Harvey? Hypocrites are probably looking a Family Feud reruns right now and reading Steve Harvey’s book on how to make a 3rd marriage work even though it hasn’t crossed the 10-year mark. Let’s see if Steve Harvey’s career flounders.
Her career was already on life support. Now it’s officially flatlined
Chrisette has you HOT! You only support Beyoncé anyway so not like Chrisette is missing your coins b****.
Lol You Stan for ciara. The last album you bought was The Evolution. So sit.
As well he should I wouldn’t use her music at all after this.but she can turn this around by getting the money and giving it to a all woman’s fund or a minority charity that would be smart.
But at the same time she’s still not making a good decision I won’t buy her music, well I never did anyway lol.
That’s it in a nutshell. You never bought her music or supported her career, so your feelings aren’t something she should base career decisions on. If she backed out, everyone in her screaming sellout wouldn’t suddenly start buying her music.
If ur not rihanna or beyonce nobody supports u. So how can anyone be mad they not buying her music anyway. Ppl always down rihanna talent but never support those with the talent they they say rihanna don’t have.
Man I would fall out if she goes through with this and gets well known (preferably from audiences other than blacks) and starts booking major events left and right. I can’t stand trump but it’s crazy how people on social media talk bad about you when you down and even when you up.
I understand why people are upset. Y’all mad at Chrisette Michele like y’all still buying her records.
I’ve seen some unnecessary posts on Chrisette and Jennifer Holliday. Its okay to disagree but let’s not go overboard
Um…Spike, she’ll be just fine.
Sad to see the level people will go to for money. For people in agreement with her it is quite clear what side of the fence they are on. Yes I guess from stories of old we still have the old house slaves that keep siding up to Massa!
Save that self righteous b*******. Only black folks feel entitled to dictate or do live commentary on the moves of people who they weren’t already supporting.
? Really, because white people have been dictating the moves of people they don’t support for centuries now…
So her soul wasn’t even worth an even million? LMAO. And folks are up here talking ’bout “get that money”. SMH & LMFAO you damn fools. And Chrisette is an even bigger fool.
Good Evening
It all about forgiveness it the key stop all this haten. Let give her peace she is going to do good tomorrow.
Thank you Spike! The long term ramifications of Chrisette’s decision will outweigh the amount on her paycheck. There’s something called integrity and it’s priceless.
This is hilarious. So Chrisette is supposed to be shamed that Spike Lee is no longer CONSIDERING using probably a snippet of one of her songs in his obscure Netflix series (which would be lucky to get a few thousand streams) as a consequence of her PERFORMING in front of an international audience of tens of MILLIONS. 30 seconds (at best) on Netflix vs. a 4-5 minute performance broadcast around the world. Glad I’m not her because that’s a tough choice right there boy.
is he serious? O_O
This is the same fool who sued Spite TV because he felt they took his name. Spike Lee is full of himself, but has few co-signers. Which is pretty much why he descended from box office to Netflix. Chrisette won’t be hindered without his support. He can’t help or hurt anyone’s career these days.
I feel like all this condemning of people who may support Trump, or just the accept him as our president is getting a little ridiculous. It is what it is at this point. He’s our president. We can’t live in denial anymore. It has happened. It’s here.
Nice