Bill O’Reilly is no stranger to beef. For years he has used his political platform to share his views on rap music and hip-hop culture. In the past he has gone head to head with the likes of Lil’ Wayne, Snoop Dogg and Ludacris but now he’s taking aim at Beyoncé.
During a recent O’Reilly Factor interview with hip-hop mogul and Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, O’Reilly discussed his issue with Beyoncé’s music video Partition, which features the scantily clad queen of pop dancing and making sexual advances toward at her rapper mogul husband Jay-Z. Appalled by her behavior and lyrical content, O”Reilly called it “inexplicable.”
He suggests that Beyoncé’s influence indirectly has an affect on issues such as teen pregnancy and fractured families that often plague the African American community. “Teenage girls look up to Beyoncé particularly girls of color,” said O’Reilly, “she’s an idol to them.”
Meanwhile Simmons, who came on the show to discuss his new book Success Through Stillness: The Simplest Path to Meditation, wound up inadvertently coming to the pop star’s defense, explaining that what she does is art and that parents are the ones responsible for their children’s actions.
“ I think the artist’s job throughout history is to tell things that people are inspired by,” Simmons said and in this case it happened to be sex. He continued by saying that he allows both of his young daughters to listen to mainstream radio but his children ultimately have to make decisions. It is up to parents to provide their children with education and knowledge to make the right choices.
In many ways O’Reilly views the Partition no differently than he does the misogynistic lyrics and images often displayed by rappers, but in Beyoncé’s case there is a difference. Beyoncé is not singing about performing sexual acts with different men, she is talking about what she does with her husband and that is what she displays in the music video in which he also co-stars.
As a mother Beyoncé only has an obligation to one child and that is Blue Ivy. At 32 years of age if Beyoncé chooses to talk about having sex with her husband that’s her prerogative. She is no different than Caucasian artists such as Madonna and Lady Gaga who have pushed boundaries when it comes to gender roles and sexuality.
Partition much like the rest of Beyoncé’s self-titled album is another extension of her independent mantra of freethinking in its regards to femininity, sensuality and sexuality. Though it is hard to say if the way her message was presented will be viewed the same by all listeners and viewers, it is clear that it caught people’s attention.
Chris M. Garner (@NapturallyChris)
