I knew that MTV was going to try to “pay tribute” to Aretha Franklin in some way, but I honestly hoped they would just do a simple little video tribute or something like that. It’s not like Aretha was particularly known as a music-video artist – she was before MTV’s time, and while she influenced every artist working today, I hoped that MTV would be respectful enough to keep it simple. They kept it simple alright – they just got Madonna to stand up there at the VMAs and talk about herself. And that was the Aretha tribute. You know it was bad because MTV didn’t even release the video of Madonna’s tribute on YouTube. Madonna got up there in “African garb,” and she talked about her own struggles as an artist:
Speaking in front of a projected image of Franklin onstage, Madonna began chronicling her musical origins, explaining that she consistently got “cut and rejected” after every audition for not fitting the status quo with other musicians. The singer then explained that she struggled to find success in the industry for she was “not tall enough, not 12-octave range enough, not pretty enough and not enough enough.” “I had no training or dreams but I went for it,” Madonna said in a dialogue that was heavy on her achievements and light on Franklin’s.
Madonna, who seemingly had come straight from her 60th birthday festivities in Morocco and Malawi, and was dressed in traditional African garb, then explained that she would go on to audition with a performance of Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” to which she said she knew “every word” by heart.
Though she was aware that those who she was auditioning for would simply view her as a “skinny-ass white girl” who “is going to come out here and sing a song by one of the soul singers that ever lived,” Madonna credited Franklin for being the reason she is as successful as she is today.
“None of this would’ve happened, could’ve happened without our lady of soul. She led me to where I am today and I know she influenced so many people in this house tonight, in this room tonight, and I want to thank you Aretha for empowering all of us, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Long live the queen!”
Basically, Aretha Franklin should be recognized as one of the legends of music BECAUSE she was such an influence on Madonna??? Is it that Madonna thinks she’s better than Aretha, or that Madonna thinks she’s the SAME as Aretha? Both options are pretty bad.
#VMAs: The Queen of Pop @Madonna pays tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin: "I want to thank you, Aretha for empowering all of us. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Long live the queen." pic.twitter.com/ugdxbr48Gz
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 21, 2018
Fans called out Madonna for making the Aretha Franklin tribute at the #VMAs all about Madonna pic.twitter.com/NezAp02BjF
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) August 21, 2018
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Wow, that was a painful “tribute”. Madonna is beyond annoying, peak white girl.
Truly. But this is MTV’s fault? Why did they even ask her when she had already made MJ and Prince’s tribute all about her?
Yeah, I’m not sure why mtv keeps calling her up for these tributes, I can think of a dozen other artists better suited.
I can’t believe Madonna has been trolling for attention for nearly 40 years and people are STILL falling for the okie dokie. SMH
Because she’s old. LOL!
Exactly right, Sarah. What were MTV thinking? Like Justin Timberlake, Madonna has a long history of being unable to ‘pay tribute’ without putting herself at the centre of her narrative.
She’s an iconic artist and tries to do good with her time on this planet but obituaries give us a glimpse of the blinding narcissism that helps drive her artistry. And she, like Timberlake, is blissfully unaware of it, lol.
Who knows, maybe you can’t achieve what she has without it?
I don’t think ppl are falling for it. When she had her time in the spotlight and pulled her shenanigans, people talked about her for ten minutes. Now, her expiration date has come and gone, and nobody wants to hear anymore, particularly last night, anyone who truly wanted an Aretha tribute didn’t want to see this hag.
That is so not a tribute and so not respectful. She should be ashamed of herself.
Madonna has always been one dimensional, she will not be changing anytime soon. And look, here we all are talking about her and how controversial she is. Again.
This is what happens when no one has told you “no” for the last 40 years.
I think she has been told no a lot. I think this is what happens when you have to be dogged in your determination to be seen and heard. It isn’t surprising because I can’t imagine someone who isn’t a narcissist at some level being attracted to fame. But it is disappointing.
Yeah. Madonna only cares about how people affect Madonna. She’s a shitty tribute maker because Madonna is always the brightest, shiniest star and pioneer in the eyes of, you guessed it, Madonna.
Yep, this was really just another version of ‘she worked for me’: Trump’s disgusting contribution.
Both comments are eyeeopening,, thhough, aren’t they, alllowing us to glimpse the world of the narcissist through their eyes, where nothing and no-one exists or has value except inasmuch as it’s affected them?
Except that she knows no shame.
She is disgusting.
On the plus side, I barely noticed her scary face and hands because of all the crazy gear she’s adorned herself with.
I feel like maybe that was exactly why she chose that ensemble. Her posing looks ridiculous.
Really? I honestly think it draws more attention to it. If she just wore her hair lose and wavy and chilled with the crazy makeup and abundance of accessories, she would look 100% better. She needs to try softer/lighter instead of looks that are severe.
At the risk of sounding ageist, she really needs to leave looks like this to younger women. They could pull it off.
She’s gained weight and is trying to distract from that with that get-up.
And her face is so tragically jacked😱.
Her career and persona are built on the bedrock of being the wild, strong, original girl who didn’t care what anyone thought but that sad, fake face is like a portrait of Dorian Grey, telling us the truth.
Wtf happened to her face?????
She is covered in cultural appropriation.
She grows more bizarre with each passing year. Now when I see her all I can think of is, “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.”
Ruyana, I’ve thought this for about 15 years. I honestly don’t find her likable at all because she seems so self absorbed. Some of her music is good, but as a person she has always seemed all about herself. And yes, bizarre.
Thank you. This is not acceptable. It is gross. She should know better but she’s always done this.
She looks like a crazy bag lady.
She totally does but I think her vast fortune means everyone around her just indulges her stupid narcissistic ideas. Her fake tribute to Aretha was the last straw for me. Madonna may be a tirelessly aggressive careerwoman but she cannot hold a candle to Aretha’s genius or talents, and shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath with her (and sorry I had to do it!).
Looking out at the morning rain, Madonna looks so tired, when she speaks only of herself, she sounds so uninspired. Aretha was a natural woman,…..forgive Madge, she can’t over turning 60. Respect lost on Madonna and shining on Aretha Franklin.
OMG, I wish I could sing this out loud. Bitch, I’m Madonna. Oh and hey, this lady who used to work for me is dead.
SHE IS INUSFFERABLE. When I saw her ragged, overrated a** come on stage, I knew it would be a DISASTER but she really outdid herself this time. And y’all have the audacity, the caucasity to come for Beyonce when this is y’all’s ICON. SMDH.
I hope the BET give our Queen Aretha the tribute she deserves.
What are you talking about? Nobody is ragging on Beyoncé because we love Madonna…I think everyone on the site has the same opinion about Madonna. She hasn’t done anything of note in many years except to make an ass of herself
Did you read the post for Madge’s 60th birthday? In the interview, she complained about today singers sounding all the same, a comment which many Celebitches took as an invitation to sh^t all over Beyonce even though Madge – who is the true legend according to them – did not even mention her.
It was a tribute to Miss Aretha Franklin and Madonna made it about herself as she always does. The VMA’s are the least significant of the award shows. Later on down the road, maybe at the Grammys, someone will give Aretha the tribute she deserves.
I never read that, I usually skip the Madonna stories because she annoys me to no end. I didn’t realize there were so many Madonna fans on this site.
@Nancy, hopefully the Grammys will have a more respectful tribute next year but last year, they had huge problem with the sound (which is a kind of problematic for a music show) so I’m not not hopeful.
@Sarah,
IMO, Madonna has always had a weak and unremarkable, often annoying voice. She had showmanship and catchy music but her vocals were always lacking… a lot.
” this is y’all’s ICON” i read this with that Black Panther scene in my mind lol IA with you tho.
This is what I was thinking about!! I do it all the time now lol. During the World Cup, when France knocked out Argentina, I screamed “this is y’all’s STAR!!” about Leo Messi.
She isn’t MY icon. No way, no how. I actually like music that is… good?
Not mine either. And I lived through the 80s, where she seemed sorta intriguing when I’d see one of her videos but her music was not even in my rotation.
Also, I don’t believe she auditioned with Natural Woman. No way, no how.
Yeah, not mine either. She is embarrassing and pathetic, honestly. I’m under 30 so I guess I didn’t really LIVE through the peak Madonna years. But I can’t stand her.
And if this is being based off of a previous post about Madge… well, I can’t help there. I never click on articles about her. This one I did because I thought she looked especially dumb, so I was curious. I’m going to assume you’re seeing pro-Madonna comments on a thread about her based largely on mainly Madonna fans commenting? Overall this site isn’t very kind to her, and I think it’s fair.
Yeah I doubt she’s many people’s icon. Maybe if she had quit while she was ahead and retired after Ray Of Light, when she still resembled a human…..
Shoot, my icon is Greg Dulli. Nowhere close to Madonna.
She’s never been my icon. And I was a young adult during peak Madonna years. I always felt like she was out there like “hey lose control” but she never did. Never felt the music. She was a superficial, hologram like, empty shell selling her soul. OMG, I actually quit my hairdresser over this, lol. I forgot about that.
Madonna always had her finger in the pulse and knew cultural approbation before we knew the term. The Madonna ire isn’t about ageism, it’s about ‘wokeNess and no one havin’ Her schtick anymore. Check her blonde braids out in African jewelry for an Aretha tribute? What. The. F.
She’s in no way my icon at all. I can’t stand her and I am not a fan of her music. Beyonce was commented about after the last Madonna article only because it was about todays music and artists, and Beyonce is a big example of it
When I think of Aretha I think of Madonna. Said. No. One. Ever.
@Sarah
Oh please miss me with that Beyonce bullshit, Madonna as annoying as she is, is an icon.
OK lol. She simply cannot sing but when has that stopped a mediocre white woman?
When has it stopped ANY mediocre “musician”?
She did the same thing with Michael and Prince tho, I don’t know why they call her for these things.
Also shades of Lady Gaga/David Bowie. These narcissists can’t do tributes, they can’t look past themselves.
I thought the Bowie “tribute” was one of the worst in recent years but Madge outdid herself and Gaga. What an icon truly. *eyeroll*
Their tributes all start with a mirror.
What an ass.
Gee, Madonna knew every word of that song by heart? What a feat.
I think the story is bullshit, anyway; no way she ever auditioned with that song, because she’d have to sell it using her vocal talent only, of which she has precious little.
Also, she looks ridonkulous here.
+50,000! No way, no how did Madge ever sing that song, unless it had been completely butchered to fit into a 6-note range.
Exactly. Madonna cannot sing anything on-key, let alone a Carole King/Queen Aretha’s song.
I guess Trump and Madonna have one thing in common….
Madonna is a narcissist so that is the only language she knows. Would not have expected anything else. She was probably pissed that Aretha’s death overshadowed her 60th birthday ffs! Can’t stand the woman.
Exactly. Madonna has always been full of herself, so her speech wasn’t shocking. Everything is always me, me, me, when it comes to egotistical people like Madonna
In which parallel universe Madge has the vocal abilities to sing Natural Woman anyway? Girlfriend sounds like a dying pigeon on her best day. I’m going to call bs on that story.
Realky, Madge? I cringe with embarrassment. Bad enough to appropriate the dress but to put yourself on an equal playing field with Aretha Franklin is just plain delusional.
Madonnas face looks like an overblown tire. I feel like if you poked her cheek it would explode
WTH is she wearing?? Seriously she trying to look all hip and cool, be down with the cool kids and she just look bloody awful. What is that look?
That easn’t a tribute. So awful
Please this is no ‘African garb’. I’m African and this right here is the attire of a witch doctor.
The first thought I had was a poorly done 1980s Boy George look. Had no idea she was trying to reflect African culture.
Amazigh headdress. My friend threw a fit this morning when she saw the pictures: she’s Amazigh and thought the whole thing was enormously inappropriate.
I think it’s inappropriate too! Talk about cultural appropriation. Aretha never walked around looking like this, so why is this outfit even relevant? And if it really IS genuinely African, why is Madonna wearing it? This is just another ME, ME, MEEEEEEE! look for her.
The style is genuinely African. It’s a traditional headdress worn by Amazigh women according to my friend. Madonna wore it on her birthday and instagrammed a photo of herself with the caption “Berber Queen” and my friend just about went completely nuts about that (imagine, for example, if say Blake Lively instagrammed a photo of herself, wearing traditional Ethiopian dress, with the caption “The QUEEN of Ethiopia” or something). She’d (my friend) just about recovered from seeing that photo so this one just set her off again. With completely good reason. Madonna’s always been the worst type of culture vulture.
Rocio, thank you for enlightening me with your knowledge. The context makes it so much, much worse. The instagram caption is vile.
So it’s not actually some traditional outfit from Malawi? She does have kids from Malawi so at least that would be appropriate if it was from their region of the country. Where did she pick it up and why?
IT IS African, north-african actually . The jewellry ( headress , necklaces , ear pieces) are berber (amazigh) , and from the look of it i would say it’s moroccan berber. The black looks like a typical amazigh dress too . She celebrated her birthday in Marrakech i think, so that’s where she got the idea.
No, it would not be appropriate for Madonna to wear Malawi clothing even if she has adopted children from Malawi. That’s still appropriation.
You know, I was hoping it was just a wacky Madonna outfit and not some White Nonsense, but here we are.
Might as well grab a book and settle in. It will be awhile before we see change, if ever.
Ugh me too. She is so embarrassing.
On a positive note, I just learned something new and as such, had the pleasure of sifting through some amazing photos of Amazigh headdresses. Really magnificent head pieces….on the Berbers, not on this crazy white lady.
Also learned that Zinedine Zidane is of Kabyle Amazigh origin. Very cool.
It’s Berber / Morrocan worn by a small group of women who later fought Spanish colonization valiantly.
It would be ironic if MTV were to get Justin Timberlake to pay “homage” to Madonna when she passes.
Hahahahahahahahahaha
Ha. Actually he’d be an appropriate choice. Honestly, who else would be a good choice? Gaga?
Miley Cyrus.
Britney Spears.
Lol to all of these.
There you go! Perfect!
PERFECT!
She’s reminding me of Gloria Swanson at this point.
Blanche DuBois in Streetcar Named Desire or Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? We have a theme going here.
Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard.
I hope some reporter or interviewer ask her to give us a snippet of how she sang,”Natural Woman”.Because there is no way in hell I believe Madonna attempted that song when she was just starting out in the business.
I hope somebody did a time breakdown of that speech so we will know exactly how much time she talked about herself vs the amount of time she talked about Aretha Franklin.My guess is 95% of the speech was about Madonna.
At this point she is just a sad parody of herself and she’s the only one who doesn’t know it.
I’ll give her props for what she’s accomplished in the industry, but everyone needs to stop treating her like she’s some kind of messiah. She’s a selfish assh*ole and as usual, she was completely disrespectful in order to get attention for herself.
Madonna is an embarrassing ass and so deluded about herself that it’s become painful. No one else can have their moment. Even in death it all has to be about Madonna. Me, me, me. I, I, I. The tribute to Aretha was a long speech about herself. Was she upset that the death of a real icon took away from her 60th? Probably. The woman is such a raging narcissist that it’s staggering. She doesn’t deserve to say her name in the same breath as Aretha. The obvious lie about singing Natural Woman takes the cake. The woman has zero range and can’t sing to save her life. Even what she is wearing is obnoxious. I’ve never been a Madonna fan. Aretha was relevant her entire career. Madonna stopped doing anything even a little interesting ,almost 20 years ago. On a positive note, her outfit and embellishments distract from her whatever it is she’s done to her face.
I wish someone would have walked onstage and challenged her to sing a few bars of Natural Woman.
Why would you wish that on the audience ^^?
Could you imagine the hilarity? Madonna’s voice has always been awful. Even with auto tuning it sucks. Maybe if we’re lucky she’ll do her own version on her next highly anticipated, completely original (not) album.
Oh, I think she would have made up an excuse not to sing and probably left the stage sooner. I just like to see lies called out, on the spot.
I know that aging sucks, but her plastic surgery makes her look 10 years older than she actually is.
at what point will celebrities realize that pretty much anything u do to your face is going to make you look worse, not better. So many good looking people have completely ruined their faces in hopes of looking younger…it almost never turns out good
Too late now, but Madonna should’ve called Glenn Close and asked who her doctors are.
I just saw “The Wife”, with Glenn Close, who is 71 (GREAT movie; highly recommend it!). I want to know who HER dermatologist and plastic surgeons are because she looks 15 years younger! THAT is how you do it, so you look like YOU, just “fresher”. (Only distracting thing was the fat fillers in her hands, that made them look a little like puffer fish. But wow…she looks GOOD).
Fillers can be ruinous.
It’s the problem of associating beauty only with youth. Instead of getting plastic surgery that enhances your face but isn’t erasing the years, people try to turn back the clock, and right now, with the technology we have, it can’t be done effectively.
Much as I hate to say it, Susan Sarandon is an example of good plastic surgery in later years. She’s admitted to some work but nothing that dramatically altered her face.
At least Susan Sarandon still looks like herself, even if she is a garbage person lately. Actors and actresses really need to be careful what they do to their faces, that’s half your career, how you look. And it’s not just women either, it’s men too.
Yep, Susan Sarandon is the perfect example of aesthetic surgery done right.
Woooooooow. Your first paragraph kind of blew my mind because it is so right!
Think Madonna is going to have a problem becoming a grandma? She will probably love being one, and absolutely hate being called one. I bet she will try to find a non-english word and insist on being called that instead. I just don’t see Madonna telling people she is a meemaw or an oma, or a granny.
She looks awful.
She’s mentally off. Enough said…
Disgusting!
She’s ridiculous.
Michael K’s rundown of this at Dlisted is everything: “While looking like Rachel Dolezal after shopping at Pier 1 Imports one afternoon…”
It had me giggling like a little kid.
OMG that is GOLD! lol. Leave it to MK lol
I so miss the days when there was some kind of mystery around celebs which shielded us from their assholery and allowed us to enjoy the music in peace. Like Madonna, I really want to keep respecting you and your accomplishments but I can’t. I can’t with the constant disrespect. An icon is not a legend. Stay in your effin lane.
An aging narcissist shouldn’t be invited to do a tribute ever (I mention the aging part because Madonna has not done well with it – her awful behavior seems to be exacerbated by it, in fact).
Also, I keep chuckling when remembering an interview with Ms. Franklin from several years ago, where they asked her what she thought of various female musical artists. About Taylor Swift she said “beautiful gowns.” And that was it. My god I loved it.
That was the most disrespectful, self-absorbed “tribute” I’ve ever seen.
one of my favorite MTV-era videos was I Knew You Were Waiting with Aretha and George Michael. They could have shown that😊
Yes!!! Love that song. Madonna is an asshole. Always has been. Last nights awards show perfectly highlighted how out of touch MTV is.
I am going now to look this up. Thank you.
Madonna’s immense ego has always had an inverse relationship to her talent, which is minimal.
Everything about this is Peak Cringe.
Okay.
I can kinda understand her doing the Michael Jackson and Prince tributes because she was a contemporary of theirs but why get her to do Aretha Franklin?? Is it because she was the oldest person who the kids would recognize??? It would have made more sense to her Pharrell to do it, at least he knows about music. She wasn’t fit to clean Aretha’s shoes!!! And considering Ms. Franklin’s relationship to the Civil Rights movement they bring up this culture vulture who CAN’T sing to talk about her, a GENIUS vocalist and pianist, is just too much. The level of disrespect from MTV is unbelievable… to the point where I think that it must be an attempt at trolling. Like really??? You bring up this lady who is beyond BASIC to pay tribute to three of the most accomplished musicians in recent music history??? SMH
It was beyond disrespectful of MTV to bring this hack on stage.
Disrespectful is the just the right word. WHY MTV would trot out this moron is beyond me.
congrats Madge, good to see you cleared out the Moroccan gift shop. I believe this is Berber regalia and Malawi is east Africa so…is this some version of ‘look what I did on my summer holidays’?
What kind of logic did the producers put into picking Madge for Aretha’s tribute? They’re both from Michigan — but I think the similarity ends there. At least they didn’t have Madonna sing…. There was nobody in that room who could match Aretha’s vocal abilities (and certainly not Madonna’s weak voice) . They should have just done a video montage, and let Aretha sing for herself.
lmao, I can’t even bring myself to watch this. The older she gets, the more apparent her narcissism is.
Grade A narcissist with a puffy face.
So. This mess has gotten Madonna more coverage than she’s had in years, even if she used the death of an icon to get it. Sheesh.
Go home Madonna and just enjoy your riches. Sick of her peddled poo but she won’t because she’s going to be that annoying woman in her 90’s who will do anything to be noticed even by debasing herself.
I call her outfit a Culture Club appropriation.
I’m actually embarrassed (as a white female) that they trotted out madge for Arethas tribute. WTF!! Seriously, couldnt you get a whole bunch of iconic black singers out there? The media is run by white people…tragic, and as I said before I’m embarrassed. No actually….ashamed!
What happened to her fake British accent?
I can’t believe anyone would be stupid enough to put Madonna to give a tribute to anyone other than herself. She is vile and always has been.
Madonna’s vanity knows no limits.
Madge should have packed it up fifteen years ago. She is her biggest fan. With that said, they should have just done a tribute with no speaker. Let the people who loved Aretha Franklin be interviewed and of course play videos of her singing. Her voice alone would have been tribute enough because it was one of a kind. RIP Aretha Franklin.
If she wasn’t Madonna, this is definitely the scary old lady whose house other kids dare you to ring the doorbell of on Halloween.
The future I see for Madonna is one similar to a character from Doctor Who. Lady Cassandra. She was a face on a piece of skin, stretched across a frame. She was constantly yelling at her minions to moisturize her. Madonna’s narcissism seems to be increasing. So much so that she can’t even allow another, much superior artist, to be memorialized without making it about herself. She’s spoken about how aging is a sin for women, yet is aging without any grace whatsoever. Making the death of a legend about herself and culturally appropriating while at it, is par for the course for her and I have no idea who thought she’d do Aretha Justice.
So different from Sharon Stone, a celebrity the same age as her. Sharon looks freaking amazing and natural. Contrast to Madge who is so desperate to hang onto youth with bad plastic surgery and constant need for attention.
Sharon Stone looks incredible for her age or any other age. Madonna looks like the ventriloquist dummy from Waylan Flowers and Madame.
She’s NOT aging well, physically or mentally
The only positive thing I can say was that at least her ass wasn’t hanging out of her costume this time while she was “paying tribute “. The bar is low for this one. I
I agree with Madonna. Urethra Francoleen has passed away. I heard it on TV.
Good grief! Go away Madonna.
She looks completely ridiculous.
Having this idiot give a tribute to Aretha Franklin was in poor taste.
If Madge had any class we should have walked on stage and said “I am not fit to hold Miss Aretha Franklins fur coat. She was a true, timeless talent. I am not.”
Btw, for the record, we ALL know you cant really sing, Madge. We were there and yes, you could dance/model/shoot a medium good video but, sing? No, no, no.
You have to admire Madonna’s ability to constantly reinvent herself. 😅
Please stop letting narcisstic celebs do tributes this isn’t about them. That’s a shame RIP Aretha.
I hope Ariana Grande speaks at Madonna’s tribute and talks about her struggles as an artist.