I don’t like Football. I, like the other 3 million extra people tuned into to the Super Bowl just for the halftime show. And to see Madonna. On the eve of her 12th album, if you study numerology you’d understand that significance, and her re-entry into American Pop Culture, this was her magnum opus on stilettos and gold. But the response was anything but celebratory.
When the fandemonium hit the fan, and every stan had their say, Twitter was filled with a bevy of tired AARP inspired insults. Forbes Magazine’s Liz W. Garcia’s put it best, “But in spite of the fact that Madonna is 53 years-old and lept from a kneeling position to standing, over and over whilst wearing spike heels (go ahead, try it, and when you’re done icing your knees, read on) and keeping pace with her twenty-something backup dancers, the focus was on her age.”
Why does this matter? It probably doesn’t. But for me it poses a legitimate question, how old is too old for pop music? A question seemingly only coerced on to pop and hip hop artists. You don’t see anyone begging U2 or Bruce Springsteen to sit down and get off the throne. Even though they should, no one tells Steven Tyler or Mick Jagger to act their age.
“…Once you reach a certain age you’re not allowed to be adventurous, you’re not allowed to be sexual….I mean, is there a rule? Are you supposed to just die?”
- Madonna at 34, defending herself at age 53.
Pop stars have a tendency to die very young or grow old very slowly. The parallels between Madonna and Jay-Z are uncanny. Both have made a career out of being cool. Both have a strangle on the music scene of their respective genres, and both are unwilling to past the torch to their younger contemporaries. As long as you got moves like Madonna, or wordplay like Jay-Z you should keep on rocking, keep on rocking. Our king of pop may be dead, but our Queen is well and alive. 90′s babies may be born this way, but legends like Madonna, legends like Jay-Z basically raised them. Jigga said it best, Bye-byes are not for legends.
“Fear not death, I’ll be alive for a million years, Bye-byes are not for legends, I’m forever young, my name shall survive.”
- Jay-Z on “Forever Young”
Watch This Space: Because I’m not young enough to know everything. But I know, today’s pop starlets always become ghosts of pop past. Now that’s a bit reductive.
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GREATeclectic aka Kendrick Daye is a DJ, artist and the Editor of Art Nouveau Magazine. As a freelance journalist and photographer his work has been featured in the NY Times Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Creative Loafing, Honeymag.com & Yo-Raps.com.
:$, Good read.
I think something to look at, as well, is the fact Madonna has poised herself as such a sexual and visual person. Besides gender, the biggest difference between Madonna and a Steven Tyler an Bruce (whom I love) is that Steven Tyler and Bruce’s music and voice always have surpassed their images. Whereas, Madonna’s image at MINIMUM is ALWAYS supplementary to everything she does. She needs it, and if it’s aging, people notice it, people talk about, people make it a big deal because SHE has always made it a big deal.