If there’s one thing everybody knew about the “Queen of Soul,” it was that she took no nonsense and had no problem throwing her fair share of shade when she felt the need. It was entertaining, comical, and unapologetically Aretha. But THAT’s what made Aretha, well…Aretha and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Needless to say, there were more than a few celebrities who have felt the wrath of the late soul icon’s unwavering shade tossing (*coughs* Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Nicki Minaj, etc.) and one of them was Fantasia Barrino.
That’s right, even though Fantasia is young enough to have been Aretha’s grandbaby, the ‘queen’ saw her for what she was- a force to be reckoned with on stage. Therefore, she made no qualms about putting Fantasia allll the way in her place, to let her know the difference between music icon and an R&B singer who’s still on the come up. The latter description is precisely what Fantasia was at that time.
What Had Happened Between Aretha & Fantasia Was…
Days after our beloved Ms. Franklin passed away on August 16th, 2018, from pancreatic cancer, Fantasia spoke with Billboard to reminisce about one of her fondest memories of the soul diva. She recalled the time she performed as part of a tribute for Aretha Franklin, who checked her somethin’ SERIOUS as soon as she stepped off the stage. Don’t take our word for it though, hear it straight from Fantasia herself…
Fantasia Barrino: “I was able to sing for her when they were honoring her [at a 2007 tribute concert] at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, which is actually where I won ‘American Idol.’ I was stupid nervous because I was the little girl that was listening to Aretha. My first cassette was Aretha Franklin.
“They took us downstairs [after the show], and I remember the door opening, and I just burst out crying as she came in. She walked around the room gracefully, as Aretha would do — very smooth. She shook hands, gave people one or two words and kept it moving. She finally gets to me, and she looks at me — I’m still crying. And she said, ‘You can sing — but I’m the bitch around here. I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute! That’s not what I was ready for!’ But she was serious. She said it, and I said, ‘Yes, ma’am.’ And I understood exactly what she was saying because she was that in my life, for me. There will never, ever be another Aretha Franklin. That’s what she was letting me know: ‘You’re good, but always know, I’m the head chick.’ And that’s what it is.”
Aretha Checked Wendy Williams On National TV
Rip #ArethaFranklin The G O A T , got Wendy Williams Right On Together 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/RgxFVWTf9N
— #SayThat (@ShannaBadd) August 23, 2018
During a prior video interview (above), talk show host, Wendy Williams, told this to Aretha, as it pertains to how she thinks Aretha gets down in her romantic relationships and marriages:
“You seem like the type of woman who still falls and can get as stupid as the rest of us girls,” Wendy boldly stated to Aretha.
Clearly unamused by Wendy’s assumption, that she cuts up and acts a fool in her relationships, Aretha shut Wendy down with the quickness. Here’s how the rest of that convo’ played out:
Aretha- “Do you think I’m gullible?”
Wendy- “I think that you can be…with the right man.”
Aretha- “Yeah…well, no, no, no…I’m not gullible. Un-unh…YOU get ‘stupid,’ I’m not gonna be ‘stupid’ anymore.”
Like we said, Aretha took zero BS and always knew how to put her arsenal of shade throwing tactics to good use. Her powerful voice and big personality will be sorely missed. Rest well queen.
