Aretha Franklin Is Retiring, But May Her Shade Live On Forever

Aretha Franklin, the current reigning Queen of Soul, made a major announcement today. She told local Detroit news outlet WDIV that she will be retiring this year after the release of her upcoming album. The singer, who has had a legendary 56-year career in the music industry, clarified that she will still continue recording, but 2017 is her last year of concerts. “This is it," she declared. With Stevie Wonder producing some of the tracks on her forthcoming album and a collective body of work that is truly timeless, I’m not concerned about missing Franklin’s music or voice. But the question that plagued me upon finding out that Franklin is (kind of) calling it quits was: Does this mean that I can no longer expect any of her iconic shade? Her beef with Patti LaBelle has really reminded me that I have something to look forward to in my later years. Franklin’s assessment of the current stock of female pop icons is almost always on point and delivered without consequence. If we’re going to be seeing less of Franklin, I think we need to pay homage to some of her shadiest moments. Luckily someone was gracious enough to put this compilation together on YouTube. May it bring you the same joy I received.