Given my music-video obsession, I feel a bit out of sorts that I haven't been able to come up with something to say about Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" clip:
The video's undeniably cute, and Smith seems like a talented kid, even if I am not exceptionally moved by the song, which is no "I Want You Back."
It just seems cute, and boppy, and fine, and I wonder if maybe that's the appropriate reaction for a 26-year-old to have to a music video starring a 9-year-old. She's a kid, and I'm not going to rush to anoint her either a musical genius or a no-talent who got a deal based on her parents' connections. I think she's neither, rather, she's a kid with some undeniable skills and the resources to execute them on a large scale. I'll be curious to see what she grows into, and what she wants to be when she grows up, but I have a hard time putting the weight of my critical judgement on her, however well-backed she is. And I kind of like the idea of Jay-Z expanding into kids' music around the time that rumors start suggesting their might be a little Hov.