NPR Critic Rips Into RuPaul's Latest Music for Charli XCX Vibes

Tell us what you really think!

RuPaul has been releasing music for a very long time — since 1986 in fact, longer than I've been alive. The star and host no doubt has had her high moments, but she's undoubtedly had low ones as well. And after releasing her latest album, entitled Mamaru, a critic at NPR has served up another moment for the latter. 

"RuPaul's 2022 album Mamaru is the final death knell of bubblegum hyperpop," the review starts. And what a way to kick things off. "Throughout the thirty-minute record, Ru somehow manages to commodify and repackage the sounds of almost every single musician who has made and impact on queer internet communities over the past several years, including but not limited to Shygirl, Kim Petras, Mamasenda and the late SOPHIE, she is rolling in her grave at the familiar fruit production on a song named 'Pretty Pretty Gang Gang.'"

The writer wasn't done yet, turning to specifically address the song "Smile." On social media, many had already noted the similarities between that song and Charli XCX.

"To say the song is exactly the same would be an insult to Charli: It's like if Mamaru's producers heard how i'm feeling now and tried to recreate it from memory after a blackout-inducing hit of poppers," Reanna Cruz writes, shredding the music. "It's a reminder that everything that made the OG hyperpop scene interesting and different is quickly being swallowed up and watered down for a larger audience, particularly one that embodies hegemonic, straight-approved forms of LGBTQ expression."

Did it feel better getting that off your chest?! Of course, Twitter is having a field day with the post.