In January of 2017, the country was still in shock and grasping for answers for how the unlikely upset of Hillary Clinton by Donald Trump in the previous November’s Presidential election, was even possible. Pseudo-analysis and the blame game were both in full swing. As the new President struggled to obtain top flight talent for his coming Inauguration ceremony, news that former Def Jam records recording artist Chrisette Michele had signed on to perform at the event. Wait, what? This New York born, R&B diva who had performed with everyone from Jay Z, Nas, Ghostface Killah and The Roots was about to shuck and jive for the MAGA crowd?
Well, needless to say, Black Twitter did what Black Twitter does. Within days, the sentiment of trashing Chrisette albums, boycotting her shows and all out Cancelation of her career and existence were in full swing.
It strikes me at this moment that I should probably back up and explain Cancel Culture for those who may be a little lost. To be “canceled” means that you have performed some act that your fan base or supporters finds egregious enough to totally rid themselves of anything resembling support for you. Canceling, most notably, became a capitalized verb and weapon during the scandals and controversies of comedian Bill Cosby and singer R Kelly. Now, if you are unsure why these two were canceled, skip the remainder of this chapter. There’s too much pop culture going on in here for you. Anyhow, the phrase Cancel Culture is one of those magical phrases that can mean all things bad and all things good, depending on the person you’re talking to. Pro-CCers say that it’s the ultimate display of the power of the people. That it is a testament to the idea that celebrities and public figures are ultimately beholden to their fans and supporters. The Anti-CCers say that destroying livelihoods based on mistakes or other perceived transgressions is the ultimate display in how callous, hypocritical, and detached from growth and its possibilities we have become. Who’s right? Eh.
So back to Chrisette, because this is where I think it gets interesting. With the tail winds of Black Twitter and the media blowing down, she goes into damage control mode and takes to the media to explain her stance. She explains that her intention was to heal some of the pain left after the election. She said she wanted to try to bridge the gap between the President’s supporters and those who did not like him. It did NOT go well. The take was considered everything from a Cop-Out to a Sell-Out. Many of her fans declared themselves no-longer fans. Folks lamented about burning her CDs in firepits. Radio stations dropped her songs from rotation. Movie director Spike Lee went so far as to remove a song of hers that he’d used for his upcoming reboot for She’s Gotta Have It. It was a full on assault.
Chrisette dug in. She believed she was taking the Christian approach. That once people saw her performance, they would get it. She’s blinked…. Slightly. Instead of the Inaugural, she ultimately performed at one of the Presidential Balls. Didn’t matter. Damage was done. Career for the most part too. Done.
So why is this the story I chose to spotlight in this piece? Well, Chrisette Michele was the first incident of Cancel Culture that made me do a double take. It was the first time that I wasn’t sure if there was some other remedy than wiping our collective hands of a minority success story. Think of it like this, I always saw cancel culture as goal oriented. The correction of bad behavior. Not just ridding ourselves of people who do something we don’t like. We first counsel, then, if necessary, more drastic steps are taken. And THAT is the rub in the Chrisette Saga. I’m conflicted because I believe that her cancelation was unnecessary. That being said, she WAS counseled. It is worth noting that we are talking, here, about an artist who rode the waves on Def Jam and Motown records and was now trying to manage her career on her own Rich Hipster imprint. Perhaps music opportunities just weren’t as plentiful as they had been in the past, and this was just a money grab. Perhaps her fame, or more specifically her view of it, led her to believe that her light shined brighter than any naysayers. That she would stick to her guns, and this would all blow over. Either way, she was hella wrong.
In the aftermath of the Trump Inauguration, there’s been tales of Chrisette losing a baby by miscarriage, losing distribution deals, bouts of depression, etc. She has interviewed expressing regret for her decisions. It is my understanding that she now makes gospel music. I couldn’t find anything indicating whether her clothing line or record label were still actually a thing. I think that many will giggle in glee about this. I am, however, a little more troubled. This is not an individual who preyed on young girls. She wasn’t caught, slipping mickeys to unsuspecting house guests. There was no foaming rant about Fags and their place in the world. She simply chose to perform a song for the wrong crowd. The saying goes “With great power comes great responsibility”. This saying works both ways. Chrisette must decide whether this payday was worth her fans ire. We must decide how important or trivial we view these incidents. Do we want to course correct, or are we simply high off the idea that WE can end YOU.
I think there’s a place for Cancel Culture. I, flat out, believe some folks gotsta go! But the curious case of Chrisette Michele makes me nervous about where we draw the line in monolithic thought. We can’t cancel everybody y’all. There still needs to be room for growth.
To Cancel or Not To Cancel. That seems to be the question moving forward.