She may be "Jenny From the Block," but you won’t find Jennifer Lopez’s CDs in your corner record shop — at least, not if you frequent the Ritmo Latino chain of stores. David Massry, Ritmo Latino’s president, announced this weekend that he would no longer stock any of J.Lo’s albums due to her alleged refusal to make promotional appearances at his locations. Massry went on to accuse Lopez of "discriminat[ing] against the Latin community," somehow managing to forget the salient facts that 1) her new album is sung entirely in Spanish and being marketed primarily to the Latin community, and 2) she is herself a proud member of the Latin community.
I’d dismiss Massry as a lone crank, were his actions not part of a frightening new trend in the record biz. Remember last fall, when Trans World Entertainment — a conglomerate that owns Sam Goody, Strawberries, F.Y.E., and other mall-friendly retailers — pulled Scissor Sisters’ spectacular Ta-Dah from its shelves because lead singer Jake Shears criticized their sky-high prices? Or a few months back, when Tower Records chose to shutter each and every one of its locations rather than submit to the indignity of selling a single copy of K-Fed’s Playing With Fire? (Okay, that last one didn’t happen.)
This spiraling cycle of retail-iation (see what I did there?) must stopimmediately, for everyone’s good. After all, it’s not as ifbrick-and-mortar record stores can afford to lose any more businessthan they already have! Maybe this is all part of an elaboratereverse-psychology plot to lure irate customers in. Or perhaps thelong, slow tanking of the CD market has finally driven these merchantsmad. Either way, the duty is yours, PopWatchers: March to your localRitmo Latino outlet and demand to purchase a copy of J. Lo’s new album(or at least, y’know, politely suggest that they reconsider banning it).
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Maybe if we could just get the Wal-marts, Targets, FYE, Best Buys and Towers of the world to join in on this ban, we could get J-Lo to go away forever!
She may consider herself a “proud member of the Latin community” or whatever, but she is a hypocrite and a snob who looks down and spits on those who aren’t rich and famous like her..
J-lo is a proud Latina? HOW? Rosie Perez got arrested for protesting on behalf of Vieques. Where was J.lo during all that? Dating a rapper. J lo comes “back to us” when it’ll help her make money, but is notably NON-Latina when it helps her career out. She forgot all about latinos when her star was rising. But now that she hasn’t been making hits or movies what does she do? NOW she makes the all Spanish album and NOW she makes the Hector Lavoe movie. After dating the whitest whiteboy in all Hollywood and the lamest Black stereotype to ever become a producer she decided to get conscious and hooked up with Marc Anthony. Don’t these moves seem a little calculated to anyone else?
Good turn by Ritmo Latino.
why do latin people hate J-LO so much? she has worked hard for what she has. people are just jelous.
Spell Jealous?
Regardless of the politics of where here album will be sold…. SHE CAN”T SING IN ANY LANGUAGE!!!!!
Number one: it is NOT about jealousy. it is about respect, which j-lo does not have for her fans. she is mean and rude, and she deserves this and much worse..
Number two: LEARN TO SPELL.
I wish we could ban her from everything. Singing, fashion, movies and existence.
I wish we could ban her from everything. Singing, fashion, movies and existence.
People do seemingly like to hate J-Lo. I don’t think there’s much substantial evidence to support it though. She’s always been real about where she comes from, so I don’t see the point in the accusation, but more importantly, her creative choices haven’t been so great lately.
There is too much hatred being stated on this blog about someone they don’t know. I think Ritmo Latino is making a mistake, not because it’s J-Lo, but because the mortar and brick stores are having enough time as it is and then to alienate fans of an artist (any artist) is being counterproductive.
J.Lo is total coconut and a chameleon who shows certain colors when it’s professionally convenient. She’s a total sell out who has come crawling back to the Latin community now that her career is bottoming out. But the bottom line is her records shouldn’t be banned because she wouldn’t do some publicity. They should be banned she sucks at singing and her entire repertoire of music is lame.
She is battling Britney, Lindsey and Hillary for the title of WORST SINGER EVER!!!! Any other suggestions for worst singer out there???
I don’t really like JLo that much. I think he songs are really not that good, the lyrics are horrible. I especially hate “Jenny From The Block”.
I’ve always been indifferent to J-Lo, so the animosity doesn’t resonate as much for me like some of you (especially since I don’t hear much from her anymore). On the one hand I have to agree with Jason on the mortar and brick stores bit. In the age of digital music taking away most CD sales, it’s probably not the greatest move in the world. On the other hand, if she’s this hated during this point of her career – as some of you guys’ responses reflect -then banning J. Lo’s new CD hardly matters in the long run.
I really don’t get why people hate her so much. I didn’t even bother reading the comments because I already know what’s there.
I don’t love her, and like everyone, I got sick of her after Bennifer, but for the most part I enjoy her on talk shows and the like.
‘March to your local Ritmo Latino outlet and demand to purchase a copy of J. Lo’s new album ‘ LOL!! funny. More like I would go over and thank him for not selling that junk!
This ties in quite nicely with that nasty little piece on her in the latest EW…I mean really, is it just me or is that article just there to be bitchy? I wonder why you guys do this periodically, like that ugly cover story on Eddie Murphy right before the Oscars…which I thought about when he lost, “He really deserved to win, I wonder if that hatchet piece in EW had anything to do with this”. Seriously, your tone can be jarring sometimes. If I want my news slanted to personal opinion, I will watch FOX News.
Paul U:
Are you reading the same article that I am (this one, not the one in the last issue of EW)? Simon’s defending J. Lo, unlike some bloggers here. Also, what some of yu tend to forget is that one person’s opinion in the mag doesn’t represent a unanimous opinion in EW. If anything caused Eddie Murphy to lose, it’s those idiot judges in the Academy Awards. An Inconvenient Truth won over Dreamgirls for best song? Happy Feet won over Cars? Case closed. Calm down man…
I just saw her video Que Hiciste(?) and she looks good and her voice sounds really strong. Didn’t understand a word she sang, but the vid was intriguing and she just looks very good! I think she’s making a good move going back to her roots, now if she can get a hit movie.
as a latin myself, Ritmo Latino is ridiculous. I used to find more of what I’m looking for at the Tower records latin section. and yet, it must have been two years ago when I last went into a store to buy a cd… let’s face it with Itunes and the internet, CD stores, should be begging us to come in there, not retaliating in such a way… their loss.
This looks just like a Madonna pic from Ray Of Light. I got confused.
why do u all hate j.lo? no matter what u guys said for me she still a good model to everyone,even her fellow artist admire her of whatever she does, she is a multi talented artist, u guys are just jealous bcoz you are not famous and doesnt have $200 million in ur bank account,j.lo is a legend
I hate to say this, but she reminds me of Michael Jackson. It is only when he has legal troubles that he is Black. Sure could have fooled me. She is Puerto Rican when it suits her. Sure she is “Jenny From the Block,” but the block only exists in her mind.
Is Lo-J really this thin?
I really dilike her and find that that shop owner has a valid point. the last tim e she went to the “block” was to shlep her Spanish lang. cd to those latinas-whom she uses at every given opportunity-i.e. her latest cd and upcoming movies.
She needs to go to back to her black and stay there…
i meant she needs to go back to her Block and stay there lol.
Also, Jasper: you’re right Madonna 1998 is the look she’s going for here-that’s how far behind she is in every single
way.
I am hoping that Aaron was just trying to be funny because his spelling leaves alot to be desired. Even so, it sounds a little racist to me. I don’t like Jennifer Lopez simply because she forgets who she is. I hope you know the history of Hispanics. It seems like you are totally ignorant of what you state. Some of your letters are apart from the word you typed, perhaps you need to get sober so you can think clearly.
Why does J-LO have to be a proud to be a Latino? Why do I have to be a ‘proud American’? The Latino’s don’t own her…. she can be ‘proud’ to be whatever she wants.
That’s what’s wrong with this blow-hard country. All this pride is backfiring on us.. that’s why we’re always at war.
Get a grip!
It would be one thing if these artists had truly done something offensive and worthy of having their products banned, but just b/c they said something bad about your store or won’t appear at your store? That’s just not right. And most of these CD stores are ridiculously overpriced these days!