"Don't I Deserve to be Privileged?" - A Thread for Jazmine Sullivan

at both of her 2016 NYC plays (including a free concert with a 5k+ showing and a fairly expensive $40 ticket that sold out about 2.5k), both shows provided an unofficial but consistent demographic: Jazmine's audience is certainly but not drastically older than the mainstream hip hop/R&B radio demographic (heavy on the 20/early 30 somethings), more women than men (maybe a 70/30 split), lots of queer signifiers among the male audience members and a fan base dominated by more than 90% people of color.

It's worth noting that her fans are not casual fans; the crowd was going crazy every time she directly addressed them, did a costume change or tried something new with a song. They were as enthusiastic about cuts from the first album as the new album. She's endowed with the "1000 True Fans" curse/blessing: she'll be able to make a comfortable living as an artist doing it more or less the way she wants to for the rest of her career but unless she kowtows to the market, she's unlikely to have a genre-crossing megahit anytime in the next decade.

yeah, that's what i've seen on the few times she's been to the uk, and it applies to a large proportion of my own personal fav artists. i'm not that mad about jazmine not smashing on the charts, i'm mad that she really doesn't get her critical due - or at least, critics seem to ultimately love her but editors don't commission them to write about her. reality show got hardly any critical ink in 2015 and then placed surprisingly high on p&j, and of course there's the grammy nom. but where is the coverage? ok, there's a bit, but she should be talked about alongside kendrick.

I just remembered I haven't listened to this album in three weeks.

There's an interview with Pitchfork up as well! Shame it's not a part of the "main" site though where I assume more people might see it. http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1016-jazmine-sullivan-on-songwritings-labor-of-love/

WTF at that crank yankers video for dumb

That was pretty much the audience breakdown when I saw her in Philly too though it seemed to be a bit younger slanted. I looooove that Pitchfork piece, and I just realized that mural is on my way to work and I have never seen it!!

also does an unedited version of "Reality Show" even exist?? every copy I've heard has a bunch of (but not all???) of the *choice words* backmasked. Is this a thing that ppl do?

it's um, up on spotify.

I haven't fully gone through the curses but my sense is that she mutes them or not for dramatic/character effect

oh i see what you're talking about wrt 'Brand New'
yeah, i think you're right lex; compare to '#hoodlove' where such niceties are quickly dropped.

same with "b___ don't kill my vibe" on Mascara

ha i wondered this for ages re: the editing

reminds me of being unable to find a completely unedited version of the miseducation of lauryn hill back in the day

i just filed a profile of jazmine; i hung out with her at her mom's place

whoa rad

Rad, please link when its up?

Awesome! Are the grammys the sole reason for all of this recent promo or is she just finally getting the spotlight she has long deserved?

i think it's the grammys

in that case hoping to see some more writeups of kehlani and the internet!

here you go :)

https://www.redbulletin.com/us/us/culture/jazmine-sullivan-is-rbs-new-queen

nice piece Maura!
i love this moment from the live version of "Forever Don't Last"; when she does this, it's so clear that she acts as a very real avatar for a meaningful portion of her audience that doesn't often hear their voice on the radio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeIg6BaEDbg#t=2m23s

bah, got the embed wrong, jump to 2.19

Definitely agree. I felt it when I saw her in Boston last year, too.

great piece maura :)

thank you lex :) talking to you on saturday helped crystallize a lot of its bits in my mind!

here's another good interview http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/interview-jazmine-sullivan

hilariously tacky https://twitter.com/seabethree/status/788527991768903681

She's getting lots of grief for it on twitter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-cNN_SPqL0

like this a lot

new single!!!! it's good!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnZb_a3oKwE

love this (and love that she’s back)

Yes

yes!

my god

I'm ready

I was wondering where Jazmine had gone only last week. This song is fantastic.

FINALLY

She notably reappeared in my Spotify daily mix playlists a few weeks back, but not with new material, hmmm.

friday lunchtime cries

revisited Love Me Back a few weeks ago apropos of our "best year for music in the 2010's" poll. def one of the reasons why i went with 2010

new song is beautiful

omg, "Pick Up Your Feelings" is fucking perfect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkMRkQbVLVU

Lost One is lovely but sounds like an intro/outro imo.
Feelings otoh is a fucking banger.

wow

i love her so much

here's the live version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeP--wHHiy8

what if this ends up being her best album yet

so good

xps to the live version:
what a song, what a singer

there is one for “Lost One” too, from the same session:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObvvP1B1Wuw

one of my favourite songs of the year [9]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpHqKtWyqCY

so good