Photo by dvsross via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
I think we would all be lying to a certain extent if we said we didn’t have at least the tiniest little crush on Jennifer Lopez. This is a safe space, we’re all free to admit that she is probably one of the most beautiful people to exist on this planet at this time.
Seriously, someone please explain to me how that woman is 50 years old. She is unreal.
Over the decades, Lopez, or J-Lo, as her fans lovingly call her, has had a massive amount of success across various industries. Beginning her career in 1986, Lopez got her start as an actress in the film, “My Little Girl.” From there, she was able to land numerous roles in musicals which took her from New York City to Europe and even Japan.
As she continued to grow throughout the 90’s, her first major break was with the 1997 hit film, “Selena,” where she played the role of Selena, the Latino singer and artist whose life was tragically cut short in 1995. Following her role in the movie with her debut album, “On the 6,” Jennifer Lopez became a more recognizable name by the day.
Flashing forward to just this past Sunday night when Lopez performed one of the most watched events in the United States, The Super Bowl — it takes no genius to recognize and understand the magnitude of the success that Lopez has acquired since she first came on the scene.
In acknowledging the massive accomplishments that she has had over time, it is crucial to also acknowledge just exactly who was hurt in the process. Several people and marginalized groups have been harmed in the making of Jennifer Lopez: Superstar.
In 2001, on her self titled album, “J.Lo,” Lopez released the track entitled, “I’m Real.” In a painfully ironic fashion as Lopez is literally singing about how real she is, listeners and critics alike were quick to point out that it did not sound like Lopez’s own vocals on the track that she claimed to sing. Rather, it sounded like the original songwriter, Ashanti’s vocals instead.
Ashanti, a singer, songwriter and actress since 1989, stated in a 2014 interview with BlogXilla, “It was bittersweet because I was really excited because it was J. Lo, you know what I mean? But I was so mad at Irv [Gotti], cause I was like ‘You know I wanted that record!’”
While Ashanti explains that the song she wrote was given to Lopez by their producer, it has never been explicitly confirmed or denied whether or not Ashanti’s voice, which was featured on the track as a background vocalist, was given to Lopez to put her name on as well.
That being said, most fans do give credit to Ashanti for the song as it sounds so much like her voice, which leads people to conclude that Lopez dubbed the track and was able to make her way to the top of the charts using her name, but not her own voice.
A very similar occurrence has been cited by listeners within the very same album, this time on the track entitled, “Play.” Lopez is credited as the lead vocalist while Christina Millian, who wrote the song, is credited with background vocals, despite the fact that people claim they can hear her perform far more than just a little background work.
It goes without saying that this whole thing is super problematic on various levels — but it runs deeper than just another big-name artist who takes credit for things that aren’t theirs and gets by on that credit for a while. The reason these specific cases are so incredibly destructive is because an entire name, worth hundreds of millions of dollars and living her dream every single day, was built on the talented, hardworking backs of black female artists.
Now that she has made it to the top, Lopez uses her platform to advocate for many things, including LGBTQ+ rights and Latinx representation, which are inarguably important causes. This is all well and good, but when that platform was constructed by crushing and stealing right from a group that is still fighting for a seat at the table to this very day, then it’s really all for naught.
So, just like in real life when we develop a crush on someone just to find out they have some pretty questionable morals, we probably should reconsider just how invested in that person we would like to be. Trust me, it is so easy to get caught up in the presence and swagger of a mega-celebrity such as J-Lo, but it is important to recognize when someone’s actions fail to live up to what we know is right.
Ali Kochik is a second-year student majoring in English writings track with a minor in journalism. AK908461@wcupa.edu