controversy

Chloe Bailey Brushes Off Chris Brown Criticism

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Chloe Bailey is receiving some harsh criticism for working with an abuser. The singer recently released her first solo album, In Pieces. The album is Chloe’s first full release outside of her R&B duo with her sister, Halle Bailey. While it is her first solo, Chloe still received plenty of help from industry friends by way of features. Both Future and Missy Elliott each hopped on a track, lending their talent to Chloe’s debut. One feature, however, has gotten people up in arms. The seventh song on the album, “How Does It Feel”, features none other than Chris Brown. Chloe was not bothered by the critics. She’s had more than her fair share of undo backlash recently. Still, with Brown’s past, is this one situation where that backlash might be valid?

Rihanna’s relationship with Chris Brown feels like a century ago, but few can how that ended. After an altercation in a car, Brown physically assaulted the singer. It was a horrific attack that left her battered and bruised. There was little in the way of an apology for his actions. Chris Brown’s abusive behavior didn’t stop there. He continued to make headlines in the coming years for multiple instances of violence and controversial behavior. Somehow, Brown manages to keep his career while others who have been accused of far fewer things do not.

Chloe To Critics: “Kiss My Booty”

Chlöe attends 2023 Billboard Women In Music at YouTube Theater.
(Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

In a new interview with Audacy’s V-103 podcast, Chloe had some choice words for those that would attempt to criticize her decision to include Chris Brown on her album. “I always just wanna let the music speak for itself,” Bailey says on the podcast. “And to be honest, no matter what I do, people always find things to say about it, so I’m used to it. I just choose to ignore it. People have every right to their opinions, freedom of speech, and it’s up to me to choose what I give my attention and energy to.”

It appears that Chloe is a big proponent of separating the art from the artist. That may be a valid thing to do, but is it possible when the artist has so much negativity in their past? Chloe seems to think so. Further speaking on her decisions, the actress and singer said, “Everything I’m doing is ordained by God, and I’m walking in my purpose, and anybody who has a problem with that can kiss my booty.” What do you think of Chloe brushing off the criticism? Let us know in the comments.

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Balenciaga Artistic Director Speaks Out On Child Ad Controversy

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In November of last year, Balenciaga found itself under fire after not one, but two offensive ad campaigns. First, it was the Gift Shop campaign that featured photos of children with inappropriate paraphernalia. Using toddlers as models, this series of advertisements captured images of the children holding bears seemingly dressed with BDSM gear. The background took place in a home setting and was scattered with a variety of items, including inappropriate props like wine glasses.

But, this poorly thought-through campaign wasn’t the only tasteless mistake made by Balenciaga. Only 5 days after the Gift Shop photos were released, Balenciaga also dropped their 2023 Garde-Robe ads. For this campaign, the brand opted for models Nicole Kidman and Bella Hadid. However, they still stirred up trouble. A photo of a Balenciaga x Adidas handbag sitting on a desk turned sour as soon as social media viewers recognized the paperwork that was sitting underneath. One was a copy of the 2008 Supreme Court ruling on US v. Williams, which banned the promotion of child pornography. In addition, the brand placed a book by Michaël Borremans on the desk. Borremans’ work is known to depict seemingly playful scenes of toddlers with a dark and violent twist.

Balenciaga Apologizes for “Unsettling” Mistakes

Evidently, both of these Balenciaga campaigns overtly shed light on a disturbing subject. While the fashion house has been known to spark debates over design choices (such as their crocs with heels), the undertones of these two advertisement concepts didn’t sit well with the internet. The brand eventually removed all images from the campaigns and released public apologies for the controversy.

In a recent interview with Vogue, Balenciaga’s artistic director Demna Gvasalia explained these “unintentional” mistakes. “Despite what many people may have suspected … never, ever would I have an idea to mess around with such an awful and horrible thing,” Demna says. His influence on the initial Gift Shop campaign was intended to be an homage to the “punk and DIY” cultures. As for the following handbag photo, Demna insists that all paperwork was supposed to be fake, and was received from a prop box. In an attempt to make up for their negligence, Balenciaga is actively working with the Kering Foundation and National Children’s Alliance.

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Tiffany & Co x Nike, ‘A Legendary Pair’

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On Sunday, Tiffany & Co. and Nike officially announced their collaboration on the  Nike x Tiffany & Co. Air Force 1 1837s. The shoe is being produced in honor of the 40th anniversary of Nike’s Air Force 1 and was teased over the weekend in a New York Times print ad of a Nike shoe box in Tiffany’s signature robin egg blue. The ad read  “A Legendary Pair.” Shortly after this announcement, the sneaker collab made its way to social media platforms where that “legendary” sentiment is quite hard to find. 

By Tuesday, sneakerheads and social media users largely dismissed the $400 Nike Air Force 1 Low Tiffany & Co. 1837 shoes– proclaiming them as a huge missed opportunity. The shoe is essentially an all black Air Force 1, already deemed a persona non grata of the shoe world, with a Tiffany blue swoosh and silver plated back. 

Commentary now began to flood comment sections across Twitter and Instagram. Users intervened stating: “They’re not bad if you don’t look at them,” “Is this a joke,” “Just Don’t Do It,” “You are a luxury brand, this looks so cheap” and “The design team was high for this one.” On other pages of youth culture such as Highsnobiety, Hypebeast and on popular archive account @liljupiter, people were even less inhibited. 

American rapper Reese LaFlare deemed the entire collaboration “T R A S H,” going on to state that “Nick Diamonds did it better,” in reference to the Diamond & Co. founder who in 2005 collaborated with Nike Skateboarding on what was later dubbed the “Tiffany Dunk.” That sneaker currently fetches over $3,000 on sneaker reseller StockX and remains highly acclaimed. 

Just a short time after the initial announcement of the shoe, the internet made up its mind. The collaboration, cool in theory, lacks substance and the cultural integrity to pull off what now seems like an uneducated marketing ploy. 

Christopher Morency, chief brand officer of Vanguards and the former editorial director of Highsnobiety summed it up best. “Cultural credibility cannot be bought. And it certainly can’t be reduced to a tired marketing template. Tiffany and Nike’s partnership failed on multiple levels. The bottom line: cultural credibility needs to be earned with respect for sneakerheads and their culture, not on their backs.”

Ultimately, the shoe highlights a lack of synergy and fluency with youth culture. Marketing efforts, while clever, lacked knowledge of sneaker culture and were limited by a great lack of imagination. Other creatives on the internet have reinvented their own version of the shoe, many of which are being celebrated by others. So while the Nike x Tiffany & Co collab is generating buzz that will likely lead to purchases, the general consensus on the shoe reflects a much less triumphant affair.

The post Tiffany & Co x Nike, ‘A Legendary Pair’ appeared first on The Source.

Bad Bunny Goes Private On IG Following Phone-Throwing Controversy

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Bad Bunny is undeniably one of the biggest artists on the planet. He effortlessly topped Apple Music’s year-end charts last year, alongside Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI.

His surprise-released album, 2022’s Un Verano Sin Ti, effectively catapulted him to new heights in his success and popularity around the world. Furthermore, the city of Los Angeles even honored him with his own day in October.

Bad Bunny performs during his first concert at Azteca Stadium as a part of World’s Hottest Tour on December 9, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Medios y Media/Getty Images)

However, the 28-year-old has recently been wrapped up in some controversy. It all began when a video started surfacing on social media of the “Me Porto Bonito” artist walking around in the Dominican Republic. The footage shows him seemingly having a good time with some fans and taking pictures with them. However, he grabs one girl’s phone from her hand and aggressively throws it away.

Of course, he has since responded to his controversial action. “The person who comes up to me to say hello, to tell me something, or just to meet me, will always receive my attention and respect. Those who come to put a phone in my face, I will consider it for what it is, a lack of respect and I will treat it like one,” writes the superstar in his translated tweet.

On Monday (January 9), the Puerto Rico native took to his Twitter account to share a mysterious message. His bio now reads, “me van a extrañar,” which directly translates to “they will miss me” in English. Although the Twitter account is still public, he has changed his Instagram account to be on private mode.

It certainly seems as though some fans agree with his actions, while others are arguing it was unnecessary. Regardless of your thoughts, it’s certainly causing lots of conversations online.

What are your thoughts on the situation? Comment your thoughts down below. Finally, make sure to say tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates.

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