Bad Boy’s latest protégé, 19 year old Cassie, might
seem like she’s living on top of the world. She’s young, undeniably
pretty, and has been burning up the charts with her sultry summer hit Me & U. However, last week marked the beginning of an avalanche of bad press that Cassie might not be able to dig herself out of.
In addition to being blasted for her lack of live performance skills, being dubbed “nothing more than a pretty face” and being criticized for distastefully rating male music artists on a “sexy scale” of 1-10 on New York’s Hot 97, it seems as if an alternate Me & U
video has been leaked to the internet, and casts Cassie
in an even more unflattering light: taking a man from the club to a
hotel room, stripping down to her bra and panties, pulling his pants
off, and getting videotaped in a very Paris Hilton-like fashion (indeed, much different from the demure version that made it to television).
While some of Cassie’s fans stand behind her, saying that the song is “obviously about sex, so why is everyone surprised at this video? She’s 19, so it’s not like she’s underage”,
some of her critics conclude that “for a singer of any age the video oversteps the boundaries of taste. It’s not sexy, it’s slutty.”
Cassie responded to last week’s events on her MySpace page, calling the video “…a
bad look that got leaked on the internet…I don’t care for that video, I never have cared for it.” And as for her embarrassing 106& Park performance: “I
am aware that my live performances have been pretty bad….no excuses,
I’m still getting over stage fright…I’m not a whore or a b*tch, which
is what people have been making me out to be. I’m a 19 year old girl,
I’m single and I’m working my ass off.”
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While in the U.K., Diddy responded to MTV reporters inquiring about Cassie’s poor performance skills, saying “You
could hear the nervousness in her voice. And to be honest, I kind of
smiled at it, because it made me really appreciate what I really love
about her: She’s a regular person. Some people are going to have good
days and bad days. The thing about Bad Boy is we’re with our artists
through all days…
I’m going to be with her until she gets it right.” (Editor’s note: After hearing Diddy go off on his Making the BandDanity Kane singers for bad performances, something tells me Cassie might not get off that easily when the cameras aren’t rolling…but nice try Diddy)
So watch the videos and judge for yourself. Is Cassie sugar and sweet or undercover freak? Can she actually sing, or is she just a glorified Lumidee? Comments are welcome (and encouraged) below.
Unofficial “Me & U” video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt2RQXm1n7o
Live Performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsIaRm2vqKg
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Myspace Page: http://www.myspace.com/cassiemyspacemusic
