However, I wonder about the racial/ethnic implications of some of her lyrics, especially in conjunction with her tendency to date (famous) Black men and her Italian/Sicilian heritage. Grande's name has led many to believe that she is Latina, but she is certainly White, although belonging to a group historically marginalized within American Whiteness. She occupies an interesting space in music by, generally, straddling pop and R&B, a genre which has been traditionally Black and owes its roots to Black artists (much like jazz). I don't think this is inherently appropriating though; nor is it the main issue I have with AG. But combined with these factors, her lyrics are interesting to examine.
Phrases used on Dangerous Woman which jumped out at me include: "We got that hood love," "Bad boy, you make me make bad decisions," "Don't you know I ain't fucking with them good boys?," "Ain't you ever seen a princess be a bad bitch?," "A little bit scandalous," and "A little bit dangerous." Language implying transgression/taboo as well as animalistic sexuality are reminiscent of miscegenation anxieties as well as the association of Blackness with "badness," in both sexy and threatening ways. and appropriates AAVE with "I ain't feelin' you no more" and "Tryna right all them wrongs," "Fuck's the point?" All this combined with the feature of Black artists such as Nicki Minaj, Macy Gray, Future, and Lil' Wayne, the latter two of which are framed as her sexual partners within their songs, equate her stated desire to be "bad" with interracial sexuality/relationships.
This is also reminiscent of the perceived transgression of Black men dating White women, especially when that involves a internalized racist rejection of Black women as "ratchet" or "sassy" or some other negative stereotype. Examining Lil' Wayne's rap on "Let Me Love You," a slow grind about moving on from an ex, provides some interesting insight into this dynamic:
This is also reminiscent of the perceived transgression of Black men dating White women, especially when that involves a internalized racist rejection of Black women as "ratchet" or "sassy" or some other negative stereotype. Examining Lil' Wayne's rap on "Let Me Love You," a slow grind about moving on from an ex, provides some interesting insight into this dynamic:
I say, "Girl, you need a hot boy"
She say, "you need to stop fuckin' with them thots, boy
"I say you need a real nigga she said yes Lord
And what you need your ex for? I'm triple X, Lord
Okay, Ariana my lil mama, goodbye to the good girl
My ex tripping, it's no Biggie, I 2Pac, shook her
I'm laid up with my new thing
She lay her head on my new chain
Then the mood change
My name change from Lil Wayne to Oooh Wayne
Oh Lord, she grinding on this Grande
Oh Lord, I'm drowning, I'm gonna need that coast guard
And when it comes to that nigga, I give her amnesia
She just looking for love
She says she single and I'm her feature, oh my God
Juxtaposing his ex (a "thot") with AG ("lil' mama," "goodbye to the good girl," "my new thing") as well as himself (a "hot boy," a "real nigga," "triple X," "new chain") with her ex ("that nigga") addresses her dating record as well as Wayne's perception (within the song) of the "forbidden" nature of them having sex. By sayin "goodbye to the good girl" he implies that getting with him would somehow change her "good" nature, turning her into his "lil' mama," an phrase laden with racial connotations.
Although what I've pointed out can be read as problematic, it can be a subversive act (especially on the part of marginalized people) to enjoy pleasure situated within racial power dynamics. In The Black Body in Ecstasy, Jennifer Nash asks, in relation to a scene in SexWorld in which a Black woman and a racist White man have sex, “How do we analyze the ways that Jill’s use of racial rhetoric seems to excite her, to provide a way for her to locate pleasure in the encounter? How do we interpret the fact that Jill takes pleasure in representing her body as a black female body and in being seen as a black female body?” There's far more in her writing to analyze here, but the main point is clear--there are more complexities in interracial sexualities than are present at a surface level. However, Grande's subtle rhetoric linking Black male sexuality to "badness" and her appropriation of both Black American slang and R&B itself definitely complicate my appreciation of her work.
This was an eye-opening read for a fellow Ariana Grande fan. Seeing this post at first I thought, what issues could be brought up with Ariana? Surely there wouldn't be a problem because she's all for equality everywhere, all the time and also because she can do no wrong? But alas, I was made aware about themes running through Ariana's 'Dangerous Woman' that I had never picked up on before, such as what you bring up about her attempts at creating a "bad" image taking shape in her lyrics and her collaborations with black artists. Dare I say these artists appear to be almost an accessory for her image? With this new record I definitely noticed an emphasis on the fantasy of a love that is dangerous and risky, and these interracial implications in her music as you mention allude to this danger and "badness" she so desires in many of the songs. There's a lot to be looked over in her lyrics concerning this appropriation that is easy to be overlooked by the smoothness of her voice, and is really interesting to me as I never thought of her as an artist that would feel the need to appropriate with her music.
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