Seriously, Mary?

Before yesterday, the leaked tracks I heard in advance of Mary J. Blige’s upcoming album were merely crappy – there’s “Good Love Do It Again,” bland and horny wannabe disco that matches the sunny tone of “Just Fine” uncannily, and “The One,” in which Mary tries on Autotune with the effect of a 40-year-old in American Apparel lamé leggings. Just ‘cause it works for the kids, doesn’t mean it’s gonna work for your ass, lady. But then yesterday, a track called “Stronger” surfaced. It’s the kind of MOR guitar-strummededly earnest bullshit that R&B has been tending toward in recent years (kicked off, perhaps, by Mary’s blow-hard cover of U2’s “One” from 2005's The Breakthrough). That’s not the biggest problem, though – this ode to overcoming obstacles ("We'll survive / As long as you're by my side") just happens to feature Chris Brown. Things have gone from crappy to offensive.

Look, I know it’s unfair persecute someone who’s, at this point, just an accused abuser and not a convicted one (though between the photographic evidence and Brown’s general air of entitlement and arrogance, I find it difficult not to spit when I hear his name these days). It’s also unfair to persecute Mary for a track that won’t necessarily end up on her finished album, a track that could easily date back to before Monstergate, a track that may still be in demo form and feature guest vocals that were not chosen by Mary or recorded in her presence (to wit, Keri Hilson's demo of the track also features Chris Brown).

That said, it’s nauseating to hear Mary share space with this guy, much less on a song about triumphing over obstacles, when one of Mary's very public obstacles has been abuse by the hand of, wouldn’t you know, a pop singer! Mary hasn’t minced words about how awful K-Ci Hailey was to her (Mary + K-Ci = Rihanna and Chris, 10 years earlier), and there was plenty of abuse in her life before that. How this thing even got out boggles the mind – it’s about as confusing, contradictory and disgusting as a gay sex tape starring Rick Ross. Even if this collaboration is some sort of conscious move, a public act of forgiveness from the abused to the abuser, you’d think she’d at least wait till Brown’s trial was over to side with him.

The worst case, I fear, is that in turning her abuse into a plot point in her mythology, she’s disconnected from it like anyone does when part of their life becomes a commodity (strippers and their bodies, for example). This is just a stupid crappy little song, and yet, it has the potential to taint Mary’s legacy, which has always been essential to her work (you can hear her life on her voice, which for her has always been more important than technical perfection). I hope that this thing never sees official release – it isn’t even worth the bandwidth it’s taking up.

Comments

[sunny bunny]

Oh God Rich, first off the song doesn't really "feature" Chris Brown, he co-wrote it and he can be heard in the background because it's just a demo... Secondly, when is this guy gonna get a break? I mean yeah, what he did is awful but everyone treating him like a leper because of it is ridiculous... should everyone stop working with him because of what happened? And how does this song have the potential to "taint Mary's legacy"... are you serious? Especially when it has been recorded by like 5 other people (Keri Hilson's version is out there, Rihanna recorded it, etc.)...

[Queen Lena]

Sunny Bunny, yes, everyone SHOULD stop working with Chris Brown. I am not forgiving when it comes to domestic abuse, and I don't see how anyone can be.

And Rich, I agree about Mary. She was my idol growing up and this leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. I sincerely hope it doesn't end up on the album (not like I would have bought it anyway).

[s]

Uhhhhh, Chris Brown has not confessed to, atoned for, or expressed remorse for what he did. So no, he doesn't deserve a break. His break came when his marginally talented, thin-voiced, MJ-swaggerjacking ass was signed as an artist many moons ago. If Chris plead guilty to the charges when he had the chance instead of forcing his victim into testifying against him in a very public court of law, if he apologized, if he showed any signs that he knows what he did was wrong he would get a break. But society at large cannot condone abuse, and this was no mere slap of the face, and should not condone it. End of story. Anytime I hear his whiny voice, which was never pleasant to begin with, I am now reminded of Rihanna's BROKEN FACE courtesy of your dear, lamented Chris Brown.

I hope, as a fan of Mary, this was recorded before the incident and I wouldn't put it past Brown's team, as Brown was the writer of the song, to put this out there as if Mary, a former abuse victim herself, forgives this dangerous tool.

[seeldee]

@s

Yep, that just about says everything I was logging on to say. Well said.

[Emma]

Sunny Bunny, if you can't sense how vile this combo is FOR MARY ESPECIALLY, I am not entirely sure how you wound up at this blog, but... you might want to rethink some things. Only the jury has to approach this case with a presumption of innocence, because they won't have seen or heard the evidence yet. (Not sure what rock they're living under, exactly.) We've seen those photos, and I have heard the 911 tapes. (Oops, LAPD.) It's terrifying, he's terrifying. Given Mary's VERY PUBLIC and SELF-PUBLICIZED issues regarding domestic violence, this is more terrifying than the fact that my teen cousin still has a Chris Brown poster on her wall.

Great post, Rich. Brilliant.

[Wookie]

I'm really hoping that these three songs (especially those last two) aren't reflective of her upcoming album. Mary sounds pretty awful with crappy autotuning and/or a certain he-man woman-beater.

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[hi]

It doesn't accomplish anything to act like the music industry doesn't operate on image. It's a business and PR is important. Mary's job is on the line (as is the case for every artist when releasing a new album), and there's no playing dumb and pretending that a Chris Brown duet wouldn't hurt her sales.

Companies reserve the right to not hire convicted felons. Schools expel students who break the law when they're not at school. The public has a right to not buy anything that Chris Brown releases from now on.

[Shawn-Shawn]

Glad to see that you covered this,and your analysis of Mary's schism from her own myth is interesting. I'm guessing you already saw Tracie's post on this on Jezebel yesterday, where she mentioned that this track might actually be the "reunion" song that Polow crafted for Rihanna and Chris Brown. That makes the whole situation even more nauseating.

However, am I the only one who thinks that this doesn't sound like Chris Brown? He doesn't sound nearly as whiny as usual.

(Also, I secretly enjoy Keri's version. Whoops? I think it suits her voice much better than Mary, who barely warbles her way through.)

[Noel]

The youtube video "I'm not a monster." bullshit really sealed the guilty deal for me. No truly remorseful person would even think those words much have the audacity to even go there. The pictures exist and I hope he goes to jail on this if it is true. Even really said it best on her Twitter, " Mother fucker you are a monster." These features and public acceptance are disgusting. Fucking shame, I used to love him.

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