When Destiny’s Child wore backless ball gowns in the desert and sang about how they take care of their men, I highly doubt they expected the girls of 2021 to bring the iconic song, “Cater 2 U,” to stand trial in Twitter court.
Earlier this month, Black Twitter thumbed through their arsenal of potential topics and landed on the gold certified record with comments ranging from “‘I can’t believe destiny’s child sing “bills, bills, bills” then turn round and sing “cater 2 u”’ to “‘I ain’t gon lie, I LOVE Destiny’s Child but Cater 2 U is definitely slavery’.” Yesterday, former member of the group Michelle Williams had enough of the commentary.
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In her video that now has 44.4k likes, Williams says, “I just heard y’all want to cancel the song, “Cater 2 U” by Destiny’s Child? Oh honey, you didn’t discern who you were catering to and you gave your little pearls to swine. Don’t be mad at Destiny’s Child,” with cartoon character eyes for a filter. Several fans wrote their own tweets supporting Williams' sentiments, but it's clear this debate is more than just differing opinions; reactions to the well-known song hint that this conversation might be a reflection of a serious generational gap. One Twitter user called out Gen Z by name as the cause for the confusion. Is it possible that the songs we grew up with somehow have an expiration or "best by" date?
Similarly, when Coming To America 2 came out, it was clear the sequel to the 1988 movie was made for a very different audience in 2021. Despite the original's flaws, it's been beloved in the community and the sequel made one thing very clear: sometimes the time capsule doesn't need to be reopened. Regardless of where you fall in the "Cater 2 U" debate, it's clear the song makes listeners re-examine the way they treat their partners and decide whether they think running their man's bathwater and rubbing their feet is subordination or appreciation. Even if you're lost in the sauce and don't yet have an opinion on the song, you can't deny that the internet has a gift for storytelling through memes; see receipts below.
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Let’s be honest BLACK TWITTER is not trying to cancel Cater 2 U .. Gen Z is trying to cancel Cater 2 U and we don’t claim them so .. pic.twitter.com/JGgbA4gcmL
— Gossip Girl ✨☕️🤍 (@xoraveen) June 14, 2021
Me listening to “cater 2 u” pic.twitter.com/bvM7ykEODL
— Ari LaBeija (@TheBaddestMitch) June 5, 2021
I ain’t gon lie, I LOVE Destiny’s Child but Cater 2 U is definitely slavery😂😩
— Jaaliyah. (@dareaallee) June 14, 2021
I can’t believe destiny’s child sing “bills, bills,bills” then turn round and sing “cater 2 u” 😭😭
— Mona (@__mxna__) June 11, 2021
“ We’re canceling Destiny’s Child Cater 2 U “
— A Real $moove Production (@Jayl0n1k) June 14, 2021
Black Twitter : pic.twitter.com/iitOGmCTdG
Not y’all trying to cancel Destiny’s Child’s “Cater 2 U” because the men you give the time of day to ain’t worth a damn. 🥴 Cater y’all self-esteem, beloveds. pic.twitter.com/taXs0MYB6R
— Isha Thorpe (@IshaThorpe) June 13, 2021
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