Solange isn’t just a street-fighting badass b*tch, you know
In case you missed it (I mean, really, where were you?), Solange Knowles had a tiny altercation with her sister Beyoncé’s husband, Jay Z, after the Met Gala last week (May 5). Ok, well maybe not that tiny…
In a surveillance video from an elevator at New York’s Standard Hotel, acquired by TMZ, Solange can be seen attacking Jay Z before being held back by security. Not one to give up a fight, Solange then kicks out at the rapper. Meanwhile, sister Beyoncé stands by doing nothing.
The trio can later be seen leaving the hotel, an angry-looking Solange and a bemused Beyoncé being ushered into a car, while Jay Z is directed to another.
Obviously last night the internet exploded with memes and hashtags galore. Yet it remains unclear what the cause of this celebridrama was.
One thing it’s important to remember is that Solange is more than a street-fighting badass bitch. In fact, Solange is responsible for some properly iconic pop culture moments. Here are just five of them…
1. The time she danced behind Rihanna in Bring It On: All or Nothing.
Before Solange was into hand-to-Jay combat, she appeared in the third instalment of the Bring It On series. The film might not be the best, but it does feature an amazing soundtrack, including Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl, What You Waiting For? and Rich Girl. It also features My Happy Ending from everyone’s favourite awkward photo-taking punk princess, Avril Lavigne.
However, the film’s most iconic moment occurs when, for some reason, Rihanna pops up to sing her debut single Pon De Replay. In this incredible scene, Solange can be seen dancing very enthusiastically behind a baby-faced RiRi, with some very questionable green screen action going on. The whole thing is a beautiful mess.
2. The time she released an album of ’60s and ’70s throwbacks.
Solange’s first foray into music was dull, generic R&B fodder. But in 2008 she unveiled I Decided (with an accompanying Freemasons remix, if you like that kind of thing, which obviously you do), and became a serious artiste. The following Motown and Phil Spector-influenced album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, was rare in its uncontrived approach to retro-tinged music. It was also the first time that she truly managed to step out of her sister’s shadow.
3. The time Vogue decided that actually she was pretty stylish so they wrote a feature about what she wore every day.
She might be fierce when it comes to fisticuffs, but Solange is even fiercer when it comes to outfits. So fierce, in fact, that Vogue gave her a feature that detailed what she wore every day for a month. Whether it was New York street style, or high fashion (baby), Solange looked flawless. Werk it gurl.
4. The time she worked with Dev Hynes and made a brilliant hipster pop EP and then went to Africa to film a video.
For her comeback in 2012, Solange went down a different route. Rather than signing to a major label, she chose to go indie. The result was a gorgeous slice of 80s melancholia. The True EP was everything that it needed to be; effortlessly cool and musically experimental, it became a staple at hipster BBQs across the world. The EP also features a song called Some Things Never Seem to Fucking Work – amazing.
Meanwhile, the accompanying video for lead single Losing You was exquisite. Filmed in various locations in the Langa district of Cape Town, the promo clip features locals as well as the famous Le Sape Society, a social movement that appropriates the manners and styles of colonial predecessors and dandies as a means of resistance. Cultural as well as cool!
5. The time she was on the new Chromeo album and stole the show.
Having previously worked with French-Canadian production group Chormeo on their 2010 album Business Casual, Solange was invited back for new album White Women. Out of all the tracks on the album, the Solange-sung Lost On the Way Home stands out. It’s joyous, summery and completely brilliant.
So, while most of the world is off lolling at Solange’s Wikipedia page now listing her occupation as “Jay Z’s 100th problem”, or scrolling through the hashtag #WhatJayZsaidtoSolange, remember that Solange is not just Beyoncé’s sister who lost her shit in an elevator and beat the crap out of an international star. She actually is amazing in her own right. #TeamSolange.