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Jay-Z + Ciara
CiaraWith a breathy, unremarkable voice and a predictable stable of producers, Ciara has failed to distinguish herself from the pack of Beyoncé clones. (Opening for Miss B’s hubby doesn’t help.) No, the ATLien comes off more as a Bally’s aerobics instructor than pop star. Try to remember the hook to her big hit, “One, Two Step.” Only Amerie’s “1 Thing” comes to mind, right? Justin Timberlake completely upstages her on her fresh Prince-like single “Love Sex Magic.” Come to think of it, she’s pretty much just Apollonia 2.0. But, clearly, she’s not the draw on this bill.
Maybe Jay-Z, briefly, hung up his mike back in 2003 because all those bottle-popping hits and envied verses came too easily to him—where’s the challenge in that? But perhaps Jay-Z returned to his first love a few years later with a pair of comeback albums, Kingdom Come and American Gangster, because all the extracurricular stuff apparently came even more easily. After all, this is a dude who spent his downtime running Def Jam; buying up clubs, clothing lines and sports franchises; and, to top it off, wedding Beyoncé.
In retrospect, Jay-Z’s erstwhile retirement was about as believable as Brett Favre stepping away after winning Super Bowl XXXI. It was no shock that a born performer such as Shawn Carter should return to rap so soon after saying he had moved on at age 33. That reported nine-figure deal with Live Nation probably had something to do with it, too.
Money is one thing, cred is another. It remains to be seen if Jay-Z can handle the ongoing downfall of the entire recording industry while convincing listeners he’s still a hard-ass Roc Boy among a sea of younger newcomers. Early tracks from the hotly anticipated, Kanye-produced The Blueprint 3—like “Jockin’ Jay-Z” and “Brooklyn Go Hard”—bang in new, modern ways as Jeezy swipes at copycats and not only reminds everyone he’s the best but shows why. His rhymes are still dense yet never laden with the verbal gimmicks of Lil Wayne or Eminem. Bet on a comeback. Hip-hop desperately needs it.
Time Out Chicago / Issue 227 : Jul 2–8, 2009
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I you ask me everything you said is incorrect and is exactly the opisate after all even beyonce said that ciara is very inovative and if u have listened to ciaras new album you would see that an not place her as a beyonce clone because after all she has been in the music industry FAR less then beyonce and us doing big things Also if you ask me beyonce was more inspired by ciara
cosign with the others ciara is one of the few artists to still be out there and be successful after coming in the industry in o4 there were so many others that came out that year and where are they u mention amerie but where is she, ciara is still making hit records and keeping haters like you talking so i guess she gets the last laugh
THAT WHOLE PARAGRAPH ABOUT CIARA WAS HATE AND A PERSONAL DISLIKE OF HER AS AN ARTIST... ( BIASED MUCH) I'M SORRY NOTHING ABOUT CIARA & BEYONCE'S MUSIC IS REMOTELY THE SAME ALSO WEARING A LEOTARD DOESNT MAKE HER A CLONE SO YOU FAILED X2 1,2 STEP SMASHES "1 THING" WHICH WAS RELEASED AFTER CIARA'S SONG, WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH HER RECENT WORK? SHE HAS GROWN AS AN ARTIST SINCE (04)..ALSO JUSTIN DIDN'T OUT SHINE HER, THEY BOTH WERE EQUALLY HOT ON THAT TRACK.. GOODIES VIDEO >> YOUR SOUL
Very unfortunate that the media continues to tear down young artists in order to make others look better. Ciara is in her own lane and shouldn't be compared to artists that have been in the music industry since the 90's such as Beyonce. Poor comparison and poorly thought out article.
WOW IF I COULD I WOULD GET YOU FIRED. WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THIS BEYONCE TALK? SHE AIN'T EVEN DIAMOND.
What a horrific article about two extremely talented artists. Not sure who wrote this and what misguided person told them they have any authority to speak on two artists who have sold millions of albums between them. Ciara is a talented young artist who has numerous hit singles including Goodies, 1,2 Step, Like A boy, Promise, Love Sex magic and more. All of them very memorable and catchy. Check Billboard ignoramus! She is also an amazing performer. Her and Jayz are going to be an awesome show.