Courtesy of The Root
With his appearance on “Saturday Night Live” last weekend, Justin Timberlake joined an elite club. Only a handful of others have hosted the legendary sketch-comedy program five times, among them such Hollywood icons such as Tom Hanks and Steve Martin. Of course, unlike most of them, Timberlake served as that evening’s musical guest as well, performing his new single “Suit and Tie” with special guest Jay-Z. Unfortunately for Timberlake, his musical comeback has not been as well received in some corners as his comedic skills.
While mainstream critics have been generally kind about his new album, The 20/20 Experience, black audiences have been somewhat cooler. A look in the comments sections of various entertainment and gossip websites with predominantly black audiences highlights the hurdle Timberlake faces in his quest to reclaim his mantle as one of the modern-day faces of “blue-eyed soul.”
Some had issues with the music itself, such as a commenter who said, “This song is god awful!!!!” But others had issues with the musician’s relationship with the black community, with one writing, “Justin you are not getting my money you wanna be, seems you only want to have anything to do with the black community when you want my money. Now he is trying to copy Robin thickes style … hope other conscious black people stop supporting your ‘music.’ ”
There were plenty, however, who had a much more specific reason for not supporting Timberlake’s musical comeback: Janet Jackson.
