North Texas Daily

In light of Justin Timberlake’s performance for the 2018 Superbowl, #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay began trending online.

In the 2004 Super Bowl, the iconic incident occurred, where Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction on stage with Justin Timberlake.

Jackson has since been snubbed from the Superbowl. But it was Timberlake’s hands that caused the wardrobe malfunction in the first place.

Taking Janet Jackson out of the equation and getting straight to the performance: It felt more like an MTV concert performance vs a theatrical piece for the Superbowl.

First off, whoever was running Justin’s audio that night did not do him justice. His voice was drowned out by the bands and bass music in the background. Timberlake’s voice was too soft in this performance.

Now as far as the Prince tribute, the very idea of Justin Timberlake resurrecting a hologram of the late Prince, is white consumption of black art at its finest for their entertainment. Don’t be dazzled by the pretty lights, stay woke.

It would seem innocent enough except for when you realize Timberlake occupies the same space as many famous black musicians because of his genre, and so it would seem he always had a seat at the table. Upon the culture starting to become “woke,” to issues and giving these scenarios names to eloquently paint a picture of the black experience, he was dubbed an appropriator.

His track sheet for being silent to black issues, throwing Janet Jackson under the bus and emulating black culture enough through his music was his down fall.

It would also seem that many performers who are mediocre at best, as far as putting on a good show, are the headliners. It’s only when they bring on other performers (i.e. When Coldplay when they brought on Beyonce and Bruno Mars) that you get the entertainment the people are looking for. After that, they end up getting a lot of praise for mediocrity or at least sympathy whereas excellence from other performers is well scrutinized.

It’s kind of like how Philly fans were dubbed “celebrators” in the media after tearing up their city while Black Lives Matter protesters are dubbed “ignorant criminals,” for this cause. One is for sports while the other one is for basic human rights to live as they feel threatened, but that’s another piece for another day.

Featured Image: Courtesy Wikimedia Commons