You would've thought Monday's MTV Video Music Awards decided to fondly remember Madonna instead of Aretha Franklin — if Madonna wasn't the one delivering the tribute.
Instead of sharing a story from the legendary soul singer's life, Madonna started the VMA tribute by waxing poetic about her own pre-stardom life of "getting robbed, held at gunpoint, and being mistaken for a prostitute in my third-floor walk-up that was also a crackhouse." Two minutes later, Madonna finally mentioned that singing "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" in an audition changed her life. That's Franklin's iconic song, by the way, and Madonna made sure to mention that her "skinny-ass white girl" self nailed it.
As Vulture painstakingly put it, the whole ordeal was Madonna paying "tribute to Madonna paying tribute to Aretha Franklin's influence on Madonna." Critics quickly piled on, including this take from radio host Charlamagne Tha God.
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If that self-centered monologue wasn't enough, some detractors went on to accuse Madonna of cultural appropriation. Her outfit channeled traditional Moroccan garb and "Berber culture," a fact she wasn't afraid to tout in multiple Instagram posts.
Even with all this crafty criticism, the Queen of Soul may have said it best herself — not that Madonna would notice. Kathryn Krawczyk
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