Love The Way You're Lost...Oops, I Mean Lie

I was impressed with Rihanna and Eminem's collaboration from the very first time I heard it. What more could a song need? Two of the most successful artists of the moment singing together in a rap-sung collab to rival B.O.B and Hayley Williams' "Airplanes". The next step was, of course, a video to match the intensity of the lyrics, and this video was as explosive as anyone could have expected.

Perhaps the trend is starting to lean towards celebrities starring in music videos. Earlier this year, animated band Gorillaz cast Bruce Willis in their video for "Super Fast Jellyfish", a few months later Killers frontman Brandon Flowers was saved from ninja's by South Africa's very own Charlize Theron, and now Rihanna and Eminem narrate the "hot love" of Lost's Dominic Monaghan (oh, and Megan Fox is there too). Controversy is sure to abound. Firstly, it's Rihanna. The girl creates controversy with everything from her haircut to her relationships. Secondly, it's Eminem. The very man whose songs one is unable to follow on the radio because 99% has to be bleeped out...

Anyway, some say that the video glamourises domestic violence. I say, get a life. Some people will complain about anything. I don't mean that I support domestic violence, of course not, but by now we should all be capable of differentiating between what is real and what is there to make a few more million dollars for the artist in question. And I see RiRi and Em laughing all the way to the bank.

Time For Africa?

The FIFA world cup 2010 was supposed to be the time for Africa to shine, and shine we did. I had never seen a country unite to the degree that South Africa did between the 11th of June and 11th of July 2010. Flags waved from every surface, and of course you couldn't go anywhere without hearing someone belting out "sum-ie-na-me-na-eh-eh-waka-waka-eh-eh" without having a clue what it meant.

"Waka Waka" was the song chosen as the FIFA world cup anthem for 2010, and of course it was an instant hit, climbing to the top of many charts, and being played incessantly on the radio. Although many South Africans were offended by the fact that a Columbian singer- Shakira- was singing the anthem for this "African world cup", everyone took heart in the fact that at least brilliant local band Freshly Ground featured in the song with her.

Imagine my horror then when seeing the video for this song on MTV and realising that only Shakira was being credited. Although Freshly Ground clearly appeared in the video, the song was cited as "Waka Waka- Shakira". Do you see my unimpressed face? I now have to question whether or not Freshly Ground were given any international exposure at all, and sadly I think "not" is the correct answer here. And thus the lyrics "time for Africa" seem extremely ironic.