And the Side Eye Goes to...
So last night, Beyonce kicked off the closing of the show by singing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" which as we all know was sung by Ledisi in the film "Selma" when she played Ms.Mahalia Jackson. Now. (Sigh) Where do I begin?
First off, John Legend told Entertainment Tonight this: "We were actually approached by Beyonce. She wanted to do an intro to our performance and introduce us. You don’t really say no to Beyonce if she asks to perform with you."
YES YOU DO JOHN!!!!!! "No bitch". There. Easy. That's all ya gotta say! I love John and Common, and Common is my future husband so I would like to believe that he had nothing to do with this mess. But let's tackle the real issue here: Beyonce, it was extremely rude of you to even ask to sing the damn song! Did Ledisi ask Jay-Z to sing "Drunken Love" at last years show with him? No she didn't! It's not your song to sing m'am. No one is saying that Beyonce can't sing or that she doesn't have an amazing voice. She's amazing, this we know. But in the words of Cookie Lyons, boo boo kitty, have a seat!
What pisses me off even more about this is that Ledisi would've KILLED that song. What many of you "Beyhivers" don't understand is that Ledisi and Beyonce have two totally different voices. "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" is a gospel hymn. Let's repeat that again: a gospel hymnal. Although Beyonce is a great vocalist, her sound is NOT well suited for that song. She got up onstage last night in her fairy angel gown, riffed and ran oh so inappropriately all over the place then had the nerve to "catch the Holy Ghost"...or as she calls it, erratically shaking her hand about in the last few seconds to try to pull some church out of her soul. But guess what? That church did not say Amen! Why? Because wasn't there!!! It was put on and it did not work.
Did you hear John Legend on that piano last night? Did you feel every single note and word? (Your answer should be yes)...well that is the feeling you should've gotten when Beyonce sang in her gussied up church robe. Butcha didn't. Why? Because it just wasn't there. Simple as that.
Now if Ledisi were vomiting at home, not in the building, and couldn't perform that song last night, who would I have called on to sing that song? Nope, not Beyonce...Fantasia. That girl sings from a place of raw truth, pain, and soul that is 100% real. It's a very VERY specific sound. It can't be taught or coached. It just is.
For those that do not know Ledisi well, you're doing yourself a major disservice. That woman's voice is anointed and she sings from a different place. You feel it. It's almost too deep to describe. As most of America agreed, Bey, this was not your lane. We love when you "Get Me Bodied" and get "Drunk In Love"...but a gut wrenching gospel hymn is not for you. And that's okay.